The priming version of this substance sometimes only made a flash in the pan.
In the 1880s, Paul Vieille invented a considerable improvement on this substance, which led to the introduction of the Lebel. William Rubruck's account of this substance may have led to its description in the Opus Majus of Roger Bacon. In a legend, this substance was created by the monk Berthold the Black. Grinding components of this substance separately before combining them made the serpentine form of it; combining the components in water to make a slurry created the more effective corned form. The priming version of this substance sometimes only made a flash in the pan. For 10 points, name this substance made from a mixture of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur that once caused battlefields to be covered in smoke, and whose combustion was used to shoot bullets out of firearms.
In the 1880s, Paul Vieille invented a considerable improvement on this substance, which led to the introduction of the Lebel.
gunpowder [or black powder]