Yeah it doesn’t even make sense. Nitroglycerin was used in mining before dynamite was invented. Usually they’d just have some minority (Chinese most commonly I think) just carry it in. One little bump and boom, that person is dead. So the Invention of dynamite saved a lot of lives.
Also it’s not like he invented gunpowder. A story about Mr. Gatling having deep regrets over his invention I could believe. But a guy inventing something that saved a lot of lives in the mining industry? And remember the invention of dynamite was after the US civil war, so warfare was already extremely bloody at that time without any dynamite involved. And how often is dynamite actually used in warfare as opposed to other kinds of explosives?
But doesn’t it though? Stabilizing it for transport saves lives in mining, but it also means it can be carried in the throes of war. Imagine lugging grenades filled with nitroglycerin instead of something stable. I can’t verify the story, but it’s a stretch to say it doesn’t make sense.
The better point is your last, I don’t think dynamite specifically was widely used.
Yeah it doesn’t even make sense. Nitroglycerin was used in mining before dynamite was invented. Usually they’d just have some minority (Chinese most commonly I think) just carry it in. One little bump and boom, that person is dead. So the Invention of dynamite saved a lot of lives.
Also it’s not like he invented gunpowder. A story about Mr. Gatling having deep regrets over his invention I could believe. But a guy inventing something that saved a lot of lives in the mining industry? And remember the invention of dynamite was after the US civil war, so warfare was already extremely bloody at that time without any dynamite involved. And how often is dynamite actually used in warfare as opposed to other kinds of explosives?
But doesn’t it though? Stabilizing it for transport saves lives in mining, but it also means it can be carried in the throes of war. Imagine lugging grenades filled with nitroglycerin instead of something stable. I can’t verify the story, but it’s a stretch to say it doesn’t make sense.
The better point is your last, I don’t think dynamite specifically was widely used.