The+History+of+the+Grenade

Grenades first came into use around the 15th century. The first were hollow iron balls filled with gun powder and ignite by a slow-burning wick.

media type="youtube" key="sdGHDwX3U5c" height="385" width="480" By the 19th century, grenades were no longer used. They were first used extensively again during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The hand grenades of World War One can be described as empty cans filled with gunpowder and stones, with a primitive fuse. The Australians used the tin cans from jam and their early grenades were nicknamed "Jam Bombs." The first safe (for the person throwing it) grenade was the Mills bomb, invented by Englishmen, William Mills in 1915. Two other important grenade designs that emerged from the first war are the French pineapple grenade and the German stick grenade.