Alfred Nobel

“ Nobel discovered that, by mixing nitro-glycerine with rocket-powder, which is a mere loose mechanical mixture of niter, charcoal, and sulphur, the difficulty in effecting the explosion of nitro-glycerine was effectually overcome. Rocket-powder is almost non-explosive, but readily burns and deflagrates on contact with a spark of fire, while nitro-glycerine, on the other hand, as before stated, is hard to explode; but when the explosion is obtained is extremely violent in its effects. ”