Technologies
Each entry explains a technology, the problems it solves and its connections.
Filters: 500 – 1499Clear
Hand cannon
14th century: surviving artifacts or written records in both China and Europe · replacedMilitaryAn early, small metal firearm held by a person and ignited with an external flame, without a complete ignition lock of the kind found on a matchlock.
Rifling
Late 15th century: the technology was already present in German regions · matureIndustry · MilitaryRifling inside the barrel spins a projectile to improve its stability in flight; it is a separate aspect of firearm technology from the ignition system.
Matchlock firearm
Mid-to-late 15th century: development of matchlock mechanisms in Europe · replacedMilitaryA mechanical mechanism controls a burning match for ignition, making it easier to coordinate holding the firearm and firing it.
Wheellock firearm
Around 1500: wheellock mechanisms appear in Europe · replacedMilitaryA spring-driven wheel strikes sparks against an ignition material, reducing dependence on a continuously burning match.
Gunpowder (black powder)
Approximately the 9th–11th centuries: from early Chinese accounts to the Wujing Zongyao (《武经总要》) · matureMaterials · MilitaryThe chemical energy source for early firearms, also used in engineering blasting; this entry covers black powder rather than later smokeless propellants.
Tuhuoqiang
1259: written record of the Shouchun tuhuoqiang · replacedMilitaryA bamboo-tube firearm described in Southern Song records as discharging a zike (子窠), illustrating a transitional form in the development of tubular firearms toward projectile firing.
Fire lance (early flame-projecting tubular firearm)
By 1132: Chinese texts record the use of fire lances · replacedMilitaryAn early firearm that projected flame from a tubular container, providing an important reference point for understanding technologies that preceded guns and cannon.
Charcoal production
Known in antiquity; became a metallurgical fuel before and around modern industrialization · matureEnergy · Industry · MaterialsHeating wood with no oxygen or limited oxygen to obtain a solid fuel with a higher fixed-carbon content and better suitability for high-temperature combustion.