The 17th Century Explosion that Devastated Beijing

Gunpowder, the world's first explosive, was developed during the 9th century in China, and its use spread around the world within a few hundred years. By 1626, Beijing had an enormous stockpile of gunpowder in its Wanggongchang Armory, only a couple of miles from the Forbidden City. The armory contained its own gunpowder factory! It was also a storage facility for armor, firearms, bows, and ammunition. The Wanggongchang Armory was only one of several armories in Beijing, which even then was a huge city of more than half a million people. What could possibly go wrong?

On the morning of May 30, 1626, the Wanggongchang Armory exploded. Everything within a two kilometer sqaure (.77 mile) area was flattened. Further out, buildings collapsed, trees were uprooted, and construction workers at the Forbidden City fell off the roof to their deaths. The force of the explosion was heard and felt in cities miles away. The emperor's infant son died from the shockwave. In all, around 20,000 people died in that explosion, making it one of the largest non-wartime explosions in history. Many more were left injured or homeless. Read about the Wanggongchang explosion at Amusing Planet.
 
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