Explosively Powered Artillery Invention

Bamboo Tube Gun.
Image: © 2000 Aeragon; all rights reserved.

There is substantial evidence that the Arabs had developed the first gun by about 1300 in the form of a bamboo tube that could be charged with black powder and fired an arrow. It is also known that a device similar to a mortar that launched stone projectiles existed in China at about the same time. It is not known for certain which invention was first.

First Rocket.
Image: © 2000 Aeragon; all rights reserved.

It is known that the Chinese developed rockets before this. A rocket is almost exactly like a cannon or mortar, but it works in the opposite way. Instead of firing a projectile, a rocket is turned upside down in relation to a cannon and the powder charge then propels the entire tube. There is no separate projectile used, but a rocket can be a formidable weapon by itself.