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Chaptal, Jean Antoine
(Encyclopedia)Chaptal, Jean Antoine zhäN äNtwänˈ shäptälˈ [key], 1756–1832, French chemist, industrialist, and statesman. He became (1781) professor of chemistry at Montpellier, and during the Revolution h...explosive
(Encyclopedia)explosive, substance that undergoes decomposition or combustion with great rapidity, evolving much heat and producing a large volume of gas. The reaction products fill a much greater volume than that ...bow and arrow
(Encyclopedia)bow and arrow, weapon consisting of two parts; the bow is made of a strip of flexible material, such as wood, with a cord linking the two ends of the strip to form a tension from which is propelled th...portcullis
(Encyclopedia)portcullis pôrtkŭlˈĭs [key], grating or framework of strong bars of wood or iron, sharp-pointed at their lower ends, sliding vertically in the grooved jambs of a fortified portal as a protection i...Garnett, Henry
(Encyclopedia)Garnett or Garnet, Henry gärˈnət [key], 1555?–1606, English Jesuit. He was converted to Roman Catholicism and in 1575 became a Jesuit. After some years on the Continent he returned as a missionar...Bacon, Roger
(Encyclopedia)Bacon, Roger, c.1214–1294?, English scholastic philosopher and scientist, a Franciscan. He studied at Oxford as well as at the Univ. of Paris and became one of the most celebrated and zealous teache...shield, armor
(Encyclopedia)shield, piece of defensive armor, worn on the arm or shoulder to ward off weapons during combat, used prior to the dominance of gunpowder. Originally for individual defense during hand-to-hand combat,...potassium nitrate
(Encyclopedia)potassium nitrate, chemical compound, KNO3, occurring as colorless, prismatic crystals or as a white powder; it is found pure in nature as the mineral saltpeter, or niter. (The name saltpeter is also ...pyrotechnics
(Encyclopedia)pyrotechnics pīˌrōtĕkˈnĭks, pīˌrə– [key], technology of making and using fireworks. Gunpowder was used in fireworks by the Chinese as early as the 9th cent., and it was they who brought fir...Rumford, Benjamin Thompson, Count
(Encyclopedia)Rumford, Benjamin Thompson, Count, 1753–1814, American-British scientist and administrator, b. Woburn, Mass. In 1776 he went to England, where he served (1780–81) as undersecretary of the colonies...Browse by Subject
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