Scientists test medieval gunpowder recipes with 15th-century cannon replica
When I was thirteen, I had the brilliant idea to make my own gunpowder and use it to build a bomb to set off in the field across from my house. I looked up the recipe in my Encyclopedia Brittanica (this was the early 80&#x27;s) and began collecting the ingredients. I will never forget the ratios: 75% Potassium Nitrate, 15% Charcoal, 10% Sulpher. After pulverizing the ingredients and combining, I funneled the mixture into a spent CO2 cartridge from a pellet gun. I inserted a sparkler as a fuse, and lay it up against a large tree. I lit the sparkler and ran around to the other side to wait for the explosion. After a painfully long wait, I heard a loud hissing sound and saw some something fly and land right at my feet, a jet of flames shooting out the tiny hole. I took off running but it never exploded. I was old enough to realize I had won a dice roll and never played with gunpowder again.