In 1846, Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero, (1812-1888) was testing a variety of compounds, when he began to mix nitric and sulphuric acids with glycerol. Instantly, the mixture exploded in his hands, blasting shards of glass deep into his face, and ultimately scarring him for life.
Sobrero had just synthesized a mixture many times more potent and volatile than gunpowder, and it nearly killed him.
He called his highly explosive cocktail “pyroglycerine” and became convinced his frightening discovery was too unstable and dangerous to be commercially useful. So, he decided to count his blessings, be grateful to still have one good eye, and vowed to have nothing more to do with this way-too-touchy concoction.
This story really begins much earlier, in ninth century Asia, where the very first chemically engineered explosions took place. Chinese alchemists had accidentally discovered the explosive properties of black powder, more commonly known as gunpowder. At first, the black powder was used for signals and entertainment (fireworks!), then later as an incendiary agent in warfare, improving existing weapons like fire-tipped arrows and siege catapults.
Early black powder was difficult to manufacture, and the powder was susceptible to moisture. It was also dangerous to handle, causing a variety of accidental explosions. In combat it produced dense smoke, making it difficult to see on the battlefield, and obscured visibility and orientation.
Yet, for nearly a millennium, gunpowder remained the primary means of triggering explosions, and led to the invention of firearms, cannons, and rockets.
In 1850, Alfred Nobel, (1833-1896), Swedish chemist, inventor, and founder of the international Peace Prize awarded in his name, heard about Sobrero’s experiments while studying explosives in Paris, and arranged a meeting. Nobel was instantly fascinated, and saw great potential in Sobrero’s discovery. It is said he became obsessed with the idea of taming one of the world’s most dangerous substances, and went on to devote the next thirty years of his life doing just that.
Nobel’s first task was to create a safe and reliable mechanism to detonate this profoundly unstable liquid.
“Nitroglycerine is sensitive to the slightest shock, and even a small change in temperature can set it off.” says Jon Winter, SPARK co-founder and certified demolition expert. “Nitroglycerine doesn’t just blow up the mountain—it shatters it with a pressure wave.”
In 1863, Nobel took a first crucial step in taming nitroglycerin, and introduced what he called a blasting cap. The blasting cap contained a small explosive charge (like mercury fulminate) that, when ignited by the detonator, sent a strong shock wave, and setting off the high explosive. Now a single operator had the ability to detonate several charge locations from a safe distance.
But the blasting cap didn’t make nitroglycerin any easier to handle and transport, and accidental explosions continued to plague Nobel’s manufacturing facilities. One such episode occurred in 1863, when Nobel’s nitroglycerin factory in Stockholm blew-up, killing several employees, including his younger brother, Emil. Yet, Nobel was undaunted and continued to manufacture nitroglycerin, along with his blasting caps.
In 1867, Nobel introduced his second game-changing invention: dynamite (from Greek dynamis, “power”). Dynamite was a mix of nitroglycerine, diatomaceous earth (a chalk-like white powder found in sedimentary rock deposits), and other porous substances, like powdered shells or clay. The result was a product much easier to handle, and infinitely safer to transport, yet devastating in its effect.
In 1878, H. Julius Smith developed the first practical electrical blasting machine. “It’s a human powered electric generator,” says Winter. “The plunger is ratcheted and drives a dynamo, which generates about 100-volts of direct current, causing the charge to jump across the spark gap and ignite the electric blasting cap.”
Kaboom.
“If you accidentally touch the contacts when the plunger is being pushed, it can really hurt,” says Winter, ever the voice of experience. “If you actually held the two contacts and took the full charge, it would be the last thing you ever did.”
Nobel’s dynamite and detonator were not only used for peaceful, constructive means. (He wasn’t called “The Merchant of Death” for nothing). Dynamite’s massive destructive power and easy portability made it a devastating weapon, especially for guerilla fighters and saboteurs like T.E. Lawrence, also known as “Lawrence of Arabia,” and, to his enemies, “Prince Dynamite.” His hit-and-run army famously used dynamite to destroy Ottoman military railway and communication lines during the Arab Revolt of the First World War.
Nobel’s detonator and dynamite went on to play a crucial role in large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Massive engineering projects like The Transcontinental Railroad, Hoover Dam, and Mount Rushmore are just a few of the many projects that relied heavily on dynamite for blasting rock and excavation. Nobel helped make mining, demolition, and other construction projects cheaper, faster, and much, much safer.
“Just think how much faster the Egyptians could have built the pyramids if they’d had dynamite,” say Winter. “I’d take a case of dynamite over a space alien any day.”
Stay grounded.