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Gunpowder: From Alchemy to Empire with Jack Kelly

AMSEcast

Release Date: 07/02/2025

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AMSEcast

Jack Kelly joins Alan on this episode of AMSEcast to talk about his book Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics. They discuss gunpowder’s accidental invention in 10th-century China and its explosive mix of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. Kelly explains how gunpowder shaped science and warfare, fueling revolutions in physics, ending the era of castles, and powering colonial empires. Though once too expensive for civilian use, gunpowder later drove mining and infrastructure projects before being replaced by safer, more powerful explosives like dynamite. Kelly also previews his...

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Jack Kelly joins Alan on this episode of AMSEcast to talk about his book Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics. They discuss gunpowder’s accidental invention in 10th-century China and its explosive mix of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. Kelly explains how gunpowder shaped science and warfare, fueling revolutions in physics, ending the era of castles, and powering colonial empires. Though once too expensive for civilian use, gunpowder later drove mining and infrastructure projects before being replaced by safer, more powerful explosives like dynamite. Kelly also previews his upcoming book on Thomas Paine, highlighting Paine’s role as both Enlightenment thinker and Revolutionary soldier.
 
Guest Bio
Jack Kelly is an award-winning historian, journalist, and novelist, as well as a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow. His work has appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and American Heritage, and he’s been featured on NPR, PBS, and the History Channel. Jack’s books explore pivotal moments in history with vivid storytelling and sharp insight. His titles include Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold, and Murder on the Erie Canal and God Save Benedict Arnold: The True Story of America’s Most Hated Man. His upcoming book is Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics, an explosive history of invention and empire.
 
Show Highlights
  • (1:24) When the Chinese invented gunpowder and when it arrived in Europe
  • (2:35) The ingredients of gunpowder
  • (3:54) Why saltpeter is such a challenging ingredient to produce
  • (5:43) Challenges faced by European engineers in the production of gunpowder
  • (8:34) What the development of chemistry revealed about how gunpowder works
  • (10:46) How gunpowder influenced sciences like physics in Europe
  • (12:51) When guns and cannons were introduced
  • (14:12) Gunpowder’s impact on European architecture, such as castles
  • (16:39) The commercial uses of gunpowder
  • (20:12) Replacements for gunpowder in weapons and other explosives today
  • (22:51) Modern uses for black powder
  • (24:26) What Jack Kelly is currently working on
 
Links Referenced