The oldest surviving gun was made in 1288!
It is made of pure bronze, and was discovered at a site in modern-day Acheng District Heilongjian, China where many battles were fought at the time. It has a 6.9 inch barrel of a 1 inch diameter, a 2.6 inch chamber for gunpowder and a socket for the firearm’s handle. But it’s by no means the first gun!
The earliest depiction of a firearm is a sculpture from a cave in Sichuan,-you guessed it-China. The sculpture dates back to the 12th century and has flames and a cannonball coming out of it. Some other fun firearms facts:
- The name “Ku Klux Klan” was inspired by the sound of a rifle being cocked
- A bullet fired from a gun parallel to the ground, and an identical bullet dropped from the same height at the same time, will both hit the ground at the same time.
- High quality paper is referred to as cartridge paper because brass cartridges of gunpowder and a ball were wrapped in paper of high quality paper.
Check out the source for some more bullets of knowledge.