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67. The discovery of nitrocellulose by Christian Friedrich Schönbein

Fri Jan 24, 2014, 11:28 AM

Jan 2014

It led to the development of guncotton, smokeless gunpowder and high-explosives. It also led to nitroglycerine, which Nobel used to invent dynamite. High-explosives are essential to nuclear weapons -- you couldn't build one with black powder to assemble the fissionable material into a supercritical mass.

It also led to celluloid, which enabled mass photography, moving picture films, etc.

And it was the first plastic. Without plastic insulators and structural parts, modern electronics would be impossible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Friedrich_Sch%C3%B6nbein

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What is the most significant discovery in the history of mankind? [View all] ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 OP

Womankind. pangaia Jan 2014 #1

ummm . . NO ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #2

I am one of YOU'all, not them'all. pangaia Jan 2014 #6

LOL ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #15

Agree 100%!!! grahamhgreen Jan 2014 #130

The realisation that there is no God. mr blur Jan 2014 #3

NOPE - we are killing each other by the millions still arguing about that one. ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #10

And you can't prove a negative... nt kelliekat44 Jan 2014 #174

The Absolute bananas Jan 2014 #192

The printing press... DonViejo Jan 2014 #4

I was hoping for "discoveries", not inventions so much ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #18

There would have been no invention if Johannes Gutenberg hadn't discovered it could be done. eom DonViejo Jan 2014 #177

fire B Calm Jan 2014 #5

Fire Bad!! JoePhilly Jan 2014 #9

LOL B Calm Jan 2014 #34

*snort* jberryhill Jan 2014 #36

DUzy! pinboy3niner Jan 2014 #43

Of course. Unless you wanted to be nitpicky and point out that fire is not a historical brewens Jan 2014 #79

Quest for Fire Blue_In_AK Jan 2014 #112

That was beautiful. Iggo Jan 2014 #171

I bought that DVD a few months back ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #203

Nuclear meltdowns are huggable, not mean like we used to think they were. nt ChisolmTrailDem Jan 2014 #94

Soap. n/t tammywammy Jan 2014 #7

Then ya gotta train men to use it! ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #47

Why- it's sliced white bread of course! notadmblnd Jan 2014 #8

When we learned how to use a stick. hobbit709 Jan 2014 #11

Gravity(mass), the speed of light, pangaia Jan 2014 #12

Indoor plumbing. JoePhilly Jan 2014 #13

JoePhilly is correct...Indoor Plumbing.. Stuart G Jan 2014 #32

That is an invention, not really a "discovery". ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #55

See my post 64# ;-) JoePhilly Jan 2014 #65

Correct, man's greatest invention: Modern plumbing. n/t FSogol Jan 2014 #111

I'd have to put the cannibal rats on the ghost ship way up there pinboy3niner Jan 2014 #14

Only if they have a xombie albatross. riqster Jan 2014 #190

FIRE.... GTurck Jan 2014 #16

Yeah - discovering how to control fire definitely shaped the history of mankind . . . ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #27

The ability to control fire required invention. JoePhilly Jan 2014 #64

Everything we have comes out of the ground.... A HERETIC I AM Jan 2014 #63

Probably gunpowder. ananda Jan 2014 #17

Wouldn't be possible without fire ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #66

Beer Baclava Jan 2014 #19

Weed grahamhgreen Jan 2014 #131

Let's face it - early man would lick frogs to get high Baclava Jan 2014 #142

Some still do Major Nikon Jan 2014 #169

I suspect you may be reinventing the wheel here pinboy3niner Jan 2014 #20

Many civilizations did not have the wheel until colonial times AngryAmish Jan 2014 #52

Fire! Uben Jan 2014 #21

"Without it, we wouldn't be here" - yes we would - not so many mind you ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #42

Germs... SidDithers Jan 2014 #22

Electromagnetism TransitJohn Jan 2014 #23

Sex liberal N proud Jan 2014 #24

Easy question aristocles Jan 2014 #25

omg yes. Niceguy1 Jan 2014 #44

The Internet/computers nt kelliekat44 Jan 2014 #175

written language snooper2 Jan 2014 #26

^^^ This one ^^^ alittlelark Jan 2014 #114

how to plant and maintain food crops nt geek tragedy Jan 2014 #28

Ah, you beat me to it! CTyankee Jan 2014 #140

We agree on something! Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2014 #185

gravity G_j Jan 2014 #29

It really is fire you know tkmorris Jan 2014 #30

Controlling "Fire changed everything" ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #45

The hand axe Coyotl Jan 2014 #31

Sharpened point or edge / Fire jberryhill Jan 2014 #33

Self-conscious mythologyzing. Eleanors38 Jan 2014 #35

How about just self-consciousness? Are we the first species that does not just pampango Jan 2014 #46

The brain Glassunion Jan 2014 #53

I thought about that. I used mythology because it seemed to describe best Eleanors38 Jan 2014 #148

Atomic structure. n/t cloudbase Jan 2014 #37

the mute button on my remote spanone Jan 2014 #38

The Hutzler Banana Slicer LiberalEsto Jan 2014 #39

Hilarious underpants Jan 2014 #81

The other comments are equally as clever underpants Jan 2014 #97

That is a marital aid! grahamhgreen Jan 2014 #133

Customers who have viewed this also viewed Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2014 #188

There could be two or more impatient banana lovers in the household LiberalEsto Jan 2014 #207

Quantum Mechanics. nt tridim Jan 2014 #40

Agriculture DFW Jan 2014 #41

Agreed customerserviceguy Jan 2014 #182

Well, the guitar and chocolate were not meant seriously, but Agriculture changed EVERYTHING DFW Jan 2014 #199

Electricity. n/t 1awake Jan 2014 #48

I'll skew a little broad jollyreaper2112 Jan 2014 #49

We became human but not humane. CrispyQ Jan 2014 #96

common ancestry (e.g., you and your dog are relatives) Vattel Jan 2014 #50

The myriad uses of the cannabis plant...... Bennyboy Jan 2014 #51

Interesting concept ConcernedCanuk Jan 2014 #62

The medicinal properties alone can change the world Bennyboy Jan 2014 #68

Language Glassunion Jan 2014 #54

+1 nt Shankapotomus Jan 2014 #168

The words "we" sibelian Jan 2014 #56

Jazz dipsydoodle Jan 2014 #57

to the lives of most people: vaccines and antibiotics. nt La Lioness Priyanka Jan 2014 #58

heliocentrism nt NoGOPZone Jan 2014 #59

Artichokes. nt el_bryanto Jan 2014 #60

Banging the rocks together. Xipe Totec Jan 2014 #61

The discovery of nitrocellulose by Christian Friedrich Schönbein FarCenter Jan 2014 #67

For HUMAN Kind it was probably fire kydo Jan 2014 #69

That's a sticky question theHandpuppet Jan 2014 #70

Beer lame54 Jan 2014 #71

I'd say electricity lpbk2713 Jan 2014 #72

The Scientific Method. NT Adrahil Jan 2014 #73

Agriculture Rowdyboy Jan 2014 #74

You beat me to it! KansDem Jan 2014 #93

Just lucky to see the tread first. Its a pretty obvious answer-it made most all the rest possible! Rowdyboy Jan 2014 #102

Faster than light travel (you didn't exclude the future) solarhydrocan Jan 2014 #75

Cheese Incitatus Jan 2014 #76

fire nt Deep13 Jan 2014 #77

This thread reminds me of "Quest for Fire" ... Whiskeytide Jan 2014 #78

I mentioned that movie above before I saw your post. Blue_In_AK Jan 2014 #113

Mine too. Haven't seen it in prob. 20 years. I didn't know... Whiskeytide Jan 2014 #118

I liked that the characters spoke no recognizable language Blue_In_AK Jan 2014 #121

Exactly. You had to pay attention, ... Whiskeytide Jan 2014 #122

Love that film. You can watch it online amerikat Jan 2014 #141

Thanks for the link. Blue_In_AK Jan 2014 #143

A lot of great discoveries for that tribe besides fire. amerikat Jan 2014 #165

Best invention? The automatic timed coffee maker. n/t brewens Jan 2014 #80

The Egg McMuffin and Snuggies underpants Jan 2014 #82

Disease is caused by germs not devils. Lint Head Jan 2014 #83

Sadly, everyone hasn't discovered that yet. n/t FSogol Jan 2014 #85

On the upside...sewage and water treatment on the downside HereSince1628 Jan 2014 #84

Speech/communication Tierra_y_Libertad Jan 2014 #86

Salt laundry_queen Jan 2014 #87

Fire, followed by the wheel nadinbrzezinski Jan 2014 #88

Tools. n/t cherokeeprogressive Jan 2014 #89

The Internet. nt Demo_Chris Jan 2014 #90

How to painstakingly chip a bit of flint into a blade, and how to harness fire. Spider Jerusalem Jan 2014 #91

Agriculture KansDem Jan 2014 #92

I agree, fire. But I'll put in a vote for SALT per Big History. Chiyo-chichi Jan 2014 #95

The use of tools. -nt CrispyQ Jan 2014 #98

That's EXACTLY the picture I had in mind. cherokeeprogressive Jan 2014 #103

Beer and travel money? Rex Jan 2014 #99

godfuckingdammityes AngryAmish Jan 2014 #183

Time. WinkyDink Jan 2014 #100

The concept of shared experience. a la izquierda Jan 2014 #101

Easy and no contest: Moral Philosophy mathematic Jan 2014 #104

Flint thucythucy Jan 2014 #105

Masturbation. William769 Jan 2014 #106

Realizing that sexual intercourse leads to offspring. Igel Jan 2014 #107

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sticky lint rollers. nt Javaman Jan 2014 #109

The Brewing Process, of course! FSogol Jan 2014 #110

Discovering that there are plants and other natural substances that help us heal. polichick Jan 2014 #115

Fire. Because only with cooking could we absorb enough nutrients. mainer Jan 2014 #116

It hasn't been made yet Fumesucker Jan 2014 #117

Sid Meier Dash87 Jan 2014 #119

Just one word ... plastics 11 Bravo Jan 2014 #120

Agriculture, Electricity, Germ Theory/Birth Control KittyWampus Jan 2014 #123

Calculus, in the 1650s. It's what makes science possible. Donald Ian Rankin Jan 2014 #124

This week I've gotta say Nyquil. WillowTree Jan 2014 #125

Binary numbers. CJCRANE Jan 2014 #126

Food preservation. Salting, smoking, drying of fruits and vegs, etc. bravenak Jan 2014 #127

happy fun ball arely staircase Jan 2014 #128

'Love begets love, hate begets hate.' grahamhgreen Jan 2014 #129

Scientific method on point Jan 2014 #132

In terms of significance in affecting the largest number of people polly7 Jan 2014 #134

Steam power. Fire came first but discovering how to use the energy from fire by doc03 Jan 2014 #135

Mel Brooks's Thousand Year Old Man says: "Liquid Prell" Squinch Jan 2014 #136

Saran Wrap Boom Sound 416 Jan 2014 #146

sex GeorgeGist Jan 2014 #137

aspirin notundecided Jan 2014 #138

Probably agriculture. CTyankee Jan 2014 #139

Money GreatCaesarsGhost Jan 2014 #144

Germ Theory and Contraception - nt. Jasana Jan 2014 #145

The three obstacles of life Boom Sound 416 Jan 2014 #147

Concrete Xithras Jan 2014 #149

That he/she could stand upright. kairos12 Jan 2014 #150

The Wheel. (has someone else already said it?) n/t Mira Jan 2014 #151

Discovery? Death. Creation? Music. nt valerief Jan 2014 #152

It's still to be admitted but I think the biggest discovery is that Cleita Jan 2014 #153

Life is what you make it. Renew Deal Jan 2014 #157

Still doesn't mean that we won't destroy the environment and ourselves in Cleita Jan 2014 #158

Agriculture, Agnosticsherbet Jan 2014 #154

FIRE!!! VanillaRhapsody Jan 2014 #155

Fire Renew Deal Jan 2014 #156

clumping cat litter (nt) Ino Jan 2014 #159

Written language. gcomeau Jan 2014 #160

The relationship between magnetism and electricity... Blanks Jan 2014 #161

electro-magnetism fadedrose Jan 2014 #181

transistor? GRACIEBIRD Jan 2014 #162

How to harness electricity. kestrel91316 Jan 2014 #163

Symbolic Algebra and the Pythagorean Theorem Sgent Jan 2014 #164

Agriculture Captain Stern Jan 2014 #166

Whiskey Major Nikon Jan 2014 #167

Fire is natural but making it number one. Second is amerikat Jan 2014 #170

Discovering the proper filiment for a working electric light. n/t oneshooter Jan 2014 #172

The Telescope. Savannahmann Jan 2014 #173

the Mayan's didn't need telescopes! VanillaRhapsody Jan 2014 #176

They could have used a microscope. Savannahmann Jan 2014 #179

but they wouldn't have existed at all without the discovery of fire and how to harness it. VanillaRhapsody Jan 2014 #197

The Absolute (moved up-thread) bananas Jan 2014 #178

Bohr's model for atomic structure. It turned out to be simple compared to what is now bluestate10 Jan 2014 #180

The plow Pretzel_Warrior Jan 2014 #184

Fire/Fuel/Energy..... Fire is behind all of our Ages: Bronze, Industrial, etc. NYC_SKP Jan 2014 #186

Totally agree. Benton D Struckcheon Jan 2014 #204

The clitoris milestogo Jan 2014 #187

Saran Wrap. Thus spake the 2000 year old man: riqster Jan 2014 #189

Electric guitar feedback Tom Ripley Jan 2014 #191

language, communication and symbolic abstraction. Warren DeMontague Jan 2014 #193

+1000 !!!! orpupilofnature57 Jan 2014 #202

I'm not saying... Silent3 Jan 2014 #194

Discovering Republicans can speek very clearly with their heads shoved firmly rustydog Jan 2014 #195

Plumbing NobodyHere Jan 2014 #196

Donuts! yortsed snacilbuper Jan 2014 #198

Civil Service Enrique Jan 2014 #200

3-D Printer . Or Water . orpupilofnature57 Jan 2014 #201

Discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the discovery of Alien Life democratisphere Jan 2014 #205

+1000 !!!! orpupilofnature57 Jan 2014 #208

The discovery that many questions have more than one answer. MineralMan Jan 2014 #206