Long Range Weapons essays

Long Range Weapons essays No one knows exactly who invented gunpowder or how it was invented. What we do know is that it was invented during the later part of the Ming Dynasty. At first it was just used for rudimentary fire works. Later it became used lightly as a weapon of war. They werent very advanced and didnt really do a lot except scare people and flash a whole lot. These early uses however were just the precursor of the use of this explosive invention. Gunpowder is a weapon and has had a similar effect on history, and those who have came into contact with it as many other weapons have. Take for example the bow and arrow. This weapon was first used in Africa by nomadic tribes. For the first time people could kill or wound a person from a considerable distance. This weapon, however, like gunpowder, was not used as a weapon first but instead as a hunting tool. It was only later developed for militaristic purposes. Before the bow and arrow the farthest you could be away from somebody was simply how far you could through a stick. Inevitably however, someone could throw farther than you. This weapon added a new dimension to warfare. Now all you needed was higher land and you could win simply because you could shoot farther. The ancient Egyptians were the first to truly utilize this technology. They would mount their archers on chariots and they could shoot farther and more accurate. They would also be sure to occupy the higher land. Improvements were made on the bow and arrow through time. Bows became longer, for added power and distance; arrows became more refined, bigger, and stronger. But perhaps the most notable advancement of all was that of the crossbow. With the crossbow things became smaller faster, more portable and much more accurate. Indeed this is one of the biggest thing to happen to archery sense the bow. When the bow and arrow was relatively new it helped take over many countries, territories, and other pieces o...