Cannons and Projectiles

  • Mar 18, 1300


    The cannon was invented in Souther Italy in the early 1300's. This cannon was handmade and generally was very rarly used in any physical combat at the time.
  • Mar 18, 1304


    Gunpowder was used by Edward Stirling in 1304
    Egyptians used handguns against the Mongols
    Cannons used in Ghent.
    These are important because it helps date back the uses of cannons in European Armies
  • Mar 18, 1324


    Castle in England falls from cannonfire in 1324
    Gunpowder is stored in the tower of London in 1388
    Tower of London had 100 cannons by 1345
  • Mar 18, 1350


    Describes cannons to be in common use. This si important because we can help date the cannons uses and description back to Petrarch.
  • Mar 18, 1400


    Matchlock was invented, wick was dipped in saltpeter and slowly burned by a match to ignite the gunpowder. This was very popular in European Armies because of its mobility and handleing for cavalry soldiers.
  • Mar 18, 1428


    Rifling was invented, the action of putting grooves on the gun to further increase the accuracy of the rifle. This help long range shots to be more accurate. A certain tool was used to carve the barrel of the gun to place groves inside the barrel.
  • Mar 18, 1478


    The Musket was invented
    This was an a rifle that had a long barrel that highly increased the accuracy of the gun. This type of weapon was used a lot in armies all across Europe. By this time there was rarely any hand to hand combat.
  • Mar 18, 1488


    By mechanical linkage, a trigger on mounted on the bottom of the lock could be pressed to lower the match to the touch hole, which included a small pan of gun powder that would be ignited first, transmitting the fire through the hole to fire the main charge in the barrel.
  • Mar 18, 1543


    Wheellock was invented
    This was when flint spun around on a wheel and hit steel to make a spark to ignite the gunpowder. This resulted in the downfall in the Matchlock technique. Wheelock was much more efficient because this resulted in a faster rate of fire.
  • Mar 18, 1576

    Case shot

    Case shot
    Case shot cannonaballs were invented
    This cannonball sprayed rock everywhere to affect the most amount of people. This form of cannonballs were the first form of shrapnel shells
  • Mar 18, 1578


    Solid cannonballs callled "shot" were fired to break down fort walls. This was done by shooting many small cannon balls to break down the wall. this was much easier than breaking down the walls with 1 big cannonball.
  • Flintlock Rifle

    Flintlock Rifle
    The Flintlock technique was introduced by hammering flint to steel that made a spark, this technique replaced the matchlock and wheelock. This technique was far more efficient.
  • Hand Grenades

    Hand Grenades
    The British Army began using Hand Grenades around 1677.
    These grenades were helpful because they could explode and kill multiple people. This was useful because you could kill multiple people with one toss rather than killing 1 person with a single bullet.
  • Cartridge

    A cartridge was invented in the late 1600's. The purpose of this was to hold the musket ball with the right amount of gunpowder. This helped the reload time on a musket which meant that you could shoot more shots than before. This helped the efficiency of sharpshooters. These cartridges allowed for a quick reload which can result in saving your life!
  • Ballistic Pendulum

    Ballistic Pendulum
    The ballistic pendulum was invented by Benjamin Robins (1707-1751), an underappreciated English mathematician and writer on ballistics, and was used for the evaluation of the strength of gunpowder and the measurement of air resistance. With this new invention, this allowed rifles to be more accurate and more precise.
  • Mobile Cannons

    Mobile Cannons
    Before the 18th cenntuey cannons were immobilized during battle. Gustavus Adolphus orded a leather cannon with a barrel made of thin copper. This cannon could be moved during battle and proved to be a effective tactic.
  • Rockets

    Rockets became a major key in battle. These rockets played key roles in important battles. Sir William Congrave created his own version of a rocket called the "Congreve Rocket". This first rocket was used to kill a large number of people in battle. The Rocket was also used to break fortifications in enemy walls.
  • Revolver

    The revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1835. When you pull the trigger, the cartridge spins and falls directly in line with the pin to be shot. At first revolvers were only carried by officers, but then they eventually used throughout the entire army.
  • Shrapnel Shells

    Shrapnel Shells
    Shrapnel shells were invented by Henry Shrapnel in 1842. On impact the shell would explode into little pieces and spray everywhere.
  • Multi Barrel Gun

    Multi Barrel Gun
    Belgium army invents the multi barrel mitrailleuse. This a mounted gun that could shoot several shots a second or multiple rounds in a rapid sucession. This was an important because this was the first step to multi barrel machine guns in warfare.
  • Hirum Gun

    Hirum Gun
    Hirum Maxum invents the first fully automatic gun, the Maxim gun. This gun was most associated with British Conquest. Adopted by European naval vessels.
  • german pistol

    german pistol
    The Lugar P08 was invented in 1908 by the Germans. This was an extremly popular semi-automatic pistol used by the Germans.It came into production in 1914. This gun was carried by almost all of Germans infantry soldiers.
  • French Rifle

    French Rifle
    The Hotchkiss model 1909 was invented in France. It was a light machine gun. The weapon was gas operated with an air cooled barrel. This weapon could hold 30 round magazines. This is just an example of the machine guns that the French Army used during WWI and WWII.
  • German invention

    German invention
    The Germans invented the first one man machine gun. Although it took a crew of 4-6 to carry and mount it. The gun would overheat and would require water to cool it down. Although it overheated a lot, it could take out a lot of enemy troops in 1 clip.
  • V-1 bomb

    V-1 bomb
    In 1944 ther Germans invented the first V-1 flying bomb. It could travel 200-220 miles before exploding upon impact
  • Atomic Bomb

    Atomic Bomb
    On August 6th and 9th, the US dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan to surrender. This was the start of the nuclear revolution.
  • Soviet Union

    Soviet Union
    On 1949 the Soviets exploded an atomic bomb. Later in 1954 the Soviets Made the first Intercontinental missle.
  • Inter Continental Missle

    Inter Continental Missle
    In 1954 The Soviet Union made their first Inter Continental Missle. This Missle revolutionized warfare because a country could attack another country from halfway around the world. These missles could travel at a minimum of 3,400 miles but their accuracy was unstable.
  • Minigun

    The Minigun is capable of firing 2,000-6,000 rounds per minute. This gun was usually mounted in helicopters to protect the pilots. This gun was very popular in the Vietnam war because of its versatility and how many rounds it held.
  • Tomahawk missiles

    Tomahawk missiles
    In 1994, THe Tomahawk Missle was invented, "Cruise Missle". This Missle is usually launched from a battleship to defend an airspace 2,000 miles away. This missile is gps guided and is able to provide effective damadge on its target.
  • IED

    IED- improvised Explosive Device. These bombs are usually remotely detonated. These bombs play a key role in fighting in the middle east. IED bombs are usually used by small militant groups that make makeshift bombs.
  • Iron Dome

    Iron Dome
    The Iron Dome is a defensive structure that defends against Enemy Missile attack. The Iron Dome played major roles in fighting in Israel in the Middle East. The Iron Dome locates the targets trajectory and sends a projectile that detonates the missile at a safe distance in the atmosphere.
  • Advancements in Machine Guns

    Advancements in Machine Guns
    In 2007 an Austrian company, Metal Storm, pattened their Machine gun that can fire up to a million rounds per minute. This gun has been used in Navy and surface ships for defence.
  • MOP Bombs

    MOP Bombs
    In 2007 the MOP bomb was invented. This bomb is capable of penetrating 60 feet of reinforced concrete then detonating. The Primary use of the MOP bomb is to penetrate bunkers and killing whoever is inside.

    The FN-SCAR-L was invented in Belgium in 2013. This weapon is available in long or short barrel, which depends on close quarter combat. This weapon can fire 625 rounds per minute and can hold a magazine of 20 rounds. This weapon is now sold worldwide in 20 different countries.