中国首先发明火药。早在唐代，中国就发明了火药。到宋代已被大量运用到军事上。元、明之际，还利用喷气原理制造了“火箭”。火药从13世纪起传到国外。

Gunpowder was invented in China. Gunpowder， invented as early as in the Tang Dynasty （618-907 A.D.), was used militarily on a large scale in the Song Dynasty （960-1279 A.D.). In the period between the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 A.D.) and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.), “rockets” were invented with the use of the fundamentals of jet. Gunpowder was introduced to other countries in the 13th century.