While European alchemists were looking to manufacture gold, Chinese alchemists were looking for an elixir of life. What they development instead was gunpowder. The possibilities were endless! First they made flaming arrows with gunpowder, but the development of the bomb came soon afterward during the Song dynasty, who had plenty of wars to fight. The first deployment of bombs, made of gunpowder stuffed into bamboo with ceramic shards added as shrapnel, was in the 11th century.
Over time, bombs became more deadly, as gunpowder was later packed into ceramic casings (shown above), and then iron shells, first deployed in 1221, which tore apart on detonation and became far-flung shrapnel that could pierce iron armor. These "heaven-shaking thunder bombs" could be heard exploding thirty miles away, and were used during the Song dynasty's 45-year war against the Mongols. Read about the development of the first bombs, and the terror and destruction they created in wartime, at Amusing Planet.
(Image credit: 震天動地)