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1001 BCE
Chinese Alchemy Uses Mercury
Now and before within Chinese alchemy they attempt to find an elixir of life using mercury (which is poisonous) which did not work well; thus, they switched to using gold. -
1000 BCE
Chinese Alchemy Starts Trying to Find An Elixir of Life
Alchemy in China starts as they attempt to turn substances to gold. This is partially to find an incredibly pure gold that will grant immortality which leads into more searches for immortality. -
300 BCE
Ko-Hung Writes a Treatise
Ko-Hung wrote a treatise on how gold and other metals can grant immortality which helped fuel this quest. -
250 BCE
‘Tsan-tung-chi’ Book Is Released
A book explaining thoughts on how gold could grant immortality is released showing how many people believed in these ideas. -
173 BCE
Alchemists Making Counterfeit Gold Is Banned
A king bans the making of counterfeit gold and deters alchemy in this way steering it towards a search for immortality. -
133 BCE
Alchemist Claims to Find the Secret to Immortality
The Chinese alchemy has switched towards finding a secret of Immortality some even falsely claim that they have. -
60 BCE
An Emperor Encourages Alchemy
Emperor Suan hires an alchemist named Liu Tsiang to lengthen his life span with alchemy made gold. The alchemist failed and was nearly killed for it. -
142
Gunpowder May Have Been Created
A writing talking of a mixture of three powders that burn and dance comes from this time. This is likely referring to gunpowder -
300
Gunpowder is Created
Gunpowder has finally definitively been made mistakenly through this search for immortality. Ge Hong wrote down the ingredients and described the explosion. -
850
People Find Out About Gunpowder
Another writing describes alchemists using gunpowder who burned down their house and burnt themselves with gunpowder which allowed people to find out about it. -
850
Gunpowder is Made Again and News Gets Out
Gunpowder had been created once again this year and resulted in a home burning down. This the news of the gunpowder spreads and people find out about it which results in it being used in many things. -
860
Fireworks Use Gunpowder
Fireworks using bamboo that would naturally make popping sounds were in use, but now the Chinese used gunpowder in their fireworks. -
904
Gunpowder is Weaponized
Gunpowder is used for the first time in the Chinese military to light arrows on fire before other more powerful uses were discovered. -
950
Gunpowder is Made More Powerful
The Chinese discover gunpowder will make a bigger explosion the more oxygen rich it is. -
1100
The Fire Lance is Created
The Chinese use gunpowder in bamboo tubes to chanel the explosion at their enemies at short range shooting fire and arrows at them. -
1128
Canons have been Created
The Chinese military creates the first canon slightly before this time. This is the time in which the first drawing of a canon appears. The canon completely changes how warfare works making defenses less helpful and armor less helpful in most battles. -
1190
The Use of Gunpowder Spreads
Knowledge and use of gunpowder begins to spread from china throughout the world. This mostly moves along the silk road at first. -
1235
Gunpowder is Used in Mining
Around this time the Chinese engineers start using gunpowder in quarries to help mine rock. -
1287
Canons are Definitely Used in Battle
Mongol Generals Use the Canon in battle to stop a rebellion. -
1310
Europeans Regularly Use Gunpowder in Battle
People in Europe use gunpowder commonly. This completely revolutionizes battles from then all the way up until now.
