Gunpowder is a mixture of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur that was first invented in China and has been used for warfare, entertainment like fireworks, and industry. It has influenced the world through changing how wars were fought with the introduction of guns and cannons, driving innovations in ordnance over centuries as metallurgy and ballistics advanced, and shaping global politics and history through military conquests and conflicts.