RE: [DL][OT-ish] Interesting Thought: World without Gunpowder

["Wangenstein " <wangenstein@mad.scientist.com>]

> 
> >Earlier today, a friend and I were discussing history, and I brought up the
> >notion of a world where gunpowder was never discovered/simply didn't
> work/etc.
> 
> 
> Don't see why that would mean there wouldn't eventually be guns and cannons;
> just that their creation might be delayed.  There are plenty of other
> propellants besides gunpowder.  Besides cordite which is used today anyway
> in lieu of gunpowder, there have been different designs of gas propellant
> guns as well.  You ever see a potato gun?
 
Most other propellants from the 19th century and before used either gunpowder or guncotton (which I should have specified as included, you literal-minded person, you ;) ). Guncotton (or something made from it) was used in the invention of most of the other major propellants, with the exceptions of nitroglycerin, dynamite and TNT. However, if I alter my proposition to read, "What if nitrates didn't explode?", that covers every major propellant I can think of, offhand.

> I recall one very elegant design.  The trigger released the gas which pushed
> the projectile into the chamber.  The end of the chamber that connected to
> the barrel was composed of a substance that would spark when contacted by
> the projectile.  The gas would ignite and bang.  Basically it was an air
> pistol that used combustible gas to generate more thrust.

Yes, but that's exactly what I mean. If gunpowder (or, shall we say, nitrate propellants of any stripe) was unavailable, what would people use? Methane? Imagine a methane tank strapped to a gunfighter's back! :D

Besides, with no black powder in the 1200s, no gunpowder/dynamite/TNT/etc. in the 19th century, where would methane/air/whatever technology be in the 19th century? Feasible applications (read that, "weapons") wouldn't appear overnight, most likely, so Mankind would have to start somewhere/when. And in that time, people would use and improve upon what they already had: swords, bows, pointy things in general.

So, with that minor (and yet, not-so-minor) correction, let's try this again... :)

Derek
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