What if firearms were never invented

They quickly learned the powder could be used in warfare. The then-reigning Song Dynasty is the first to have used gunpowder against the Mongols, whose constant invasions into the country plagued the Chinese throughout the period. The Chinese attacked the Mongols with fire lances or " flying fire " — arrows fixed with tubes of gunpowder that, when ignited, would propel across enemy lines. More gunpowder-based weapons followed as the Chinese perfected a variety of weapons against the Mongols over the next centuries, including the first cannons and grenades.

Gunpowder made its way to Europe in the 13th century, likely over the Silk Road trade routes through Central Asia. Rival nations refined gunpowder recipes in the ensuing centuries before arriving at the optimum mixture : approximately 75 percent saltpeter, 15 percent charcoal and 10 percent sulfur. By , rudimentary gunpowder cannons were commonplace in the English and French militaries, who used the explosive technology against each other during the Hundred Years' War.

As the centuries continued, new and improved cannons were designed, many of which were small and portable. Eventually the hand cannon was developed in the early 15th century; it was the first real personal firearm.

The Ottoman Turks used these and other cannons during the successful siege of Constantinople in The powerful new weapons essentially rendered traditional walled fortifications of Europe defenseless. Historians generally consider the Chinese fire lance as the first gun.

But before the 15th century, guns were tricky to fire — they required both hands and a burning wick to ignite the powder. Enter the invention of the lock, an internal firing mechanism that made shooting a hand-held firearm more efficient, easier and safer. The first was a matchlock , followed by a series of enhancements until we get something more akin to the guns we know today.

The first known gun to use a matchlock was the French arquebus , a short-barreled long gun rifle held at the shoulder yet small enough to be handled by one person. A gunpowder-soaked cord burned at both ends until it touched a pan of flash powder, which sent a small ball soaring toward its enemy.

Still, they were cumbersome weapons that could only be fired once every two minutes. Guns slowly replaced old-guard weapons, because they were more economical, rather than more lethal. Lifelong devotion was required to become a highly skilled and highly paid swordsman or archer, but a few weeks or months of training could turn a lower-class soldier into a skilled gunner. Besides increasing the field of soldiers, guns have had far-reaching influence on the nature of armed combat, from the distances at which dueling armies engage one another to the types of wounds soldiers incur.

Only the horse — which dominated battlefields for millennia — has proven more important than the gun. Sign up for our Newsletter! Mobile Newsletter banner close. Mobile Newsletter chat close. Mobile Newsletter chat dots. Mobile Newsletter chat avatar. Mobile Newsletter chat subscribe. Who Invented the First Gun? Hand cannons, like the c. The hand cannon is quite possibly the first personal firearm.

As a physician, I have witnessed the destruction this weapon can wreak on human flesh. Russian Mikhail Kalashnikov invented the weapon that bears his name in the middle of the 20th century. Born on Nov. While still in the military, he produced several designs that lost out to competitors before eventually producing the first AK In , the AK became the assault rifle of the Soviet Army.

Later adopted by other nations in the Warsaw Pact, the weapon quickly spread around the world, becoming a symbol of revolution in such far-flung lands as Vietnam, Afghanistan, Colombia and Mozambique, on whose flag it figures prominently. Over the course of his long life, Kalashnikov continued to tweak his classic design. He also developed the cartridge-fed PK machine gun. Modified AKs are still in production in countries around the world. Why was the AK such a revolutionary rifle? It is relatively inexpensive to produce, short and light to carry, and easy to use, with little recoil.

It also boasts legendary reliability under harsh conditions ranging from waterlogged jungles to Middle Eastern sandstorms, in both extreme cold and heat. It also requires relatively little maintenance. This stems from its large gas piston and wide clearances between moving parts, which help to prevent it from jamming. And I hear American soldiers in Iraq use it quite often.

The hostage-takers who stormed the Olympic Village in Munich in were armed with Kalashnikovs, and mass shooters in the U. The U. With a service life of 20 to 40 years, AKs are easily relocated and repurposed.