History
The Ironic Origins of Gunpowder
People were looking for the elixir of life but arguably found the opposite.
BANG!
It’s the last thing you’ll want to hear when staring down the barrel of a gun. Unfortunately, it’s what millions of people throughout history heard before dying.
In the United States alone, over 340,000 people have died due to gun-related incidents from 2008 to 2017. That’s one gun death every fifteen minutes.
But the origin of its deadly power was found with the opposite goal in mind — people created gunpowder searching for the elixir of life.
Ironic origins
In the mid-9th century, Chinese alchemists were commissioned by the emperor to create a potion for immortality. After many experiments, they discovered a highly flammable substance when mixing sulfur and saltpeter.
The alchemists dubbed this as “fire medicine” but quickly discovered that it didn’t preserve life. Unfortunately, they only realized this after their experiments with the substance burned down their homes.
The Taishang Shengzu Jindan Mijue, a text containing the Chinese recipe for gunpowder, warned:
“Some have heated together sulfur, realgar…
