By Brecht Egle

Abstract

Explosives shock everyone’s imagination, but for many, these fascinating chemical compounds are shrouded in mystery. In this lecture, we will try to lift that veil by following the development of explosives along the craters of history. The story starts in the sulphurous fumes from the father of all explosives: gunpowder. We will then learn how the Nobel prizes were born from an explosive innovation that made the (relatively) safe use of nitroglycerin possible. Besides commercial success, this invention also triggered a new era of explosive science. We then stumble into the two World Wars, where a deadly marriage of chemistry and technology is revealed and with it the dawn of a new generation of powerful explosives. Our journey ends in the present day, where we will take a look at current trends in the science of explosives.

When our exploration is concluded we will have gained a deeper insight into the wonders of explosives: incredibly powerful but fickle tools of mankind.

Practical information

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Start time: 19:00 CET
Language: English

Registration has closed. You are still able to watch and rewatch the webinar via our YouTube live stream.

Participation is free. Members of KVCV will receive priority for attending this event via our streaming platform.

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