weapon: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Videos

Learn about the regimented fighting and muskets used on both sides in the American Revolutionary War

See All Videos →

Topics

chemical weapon biological weapon 7 Deadliest Weapons in History bomb weapon of mass destruction antitank weapon delivery system guidance system missile weapon payload history of technology Internet computer Dress Furniture textile motion-picture technology Agricultural technology materials science glassware

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

military technology: Prehistory

Key People

Portrait of Archimedes by Giuseppe Nogari shows an elderly man with white hair and beard, holding a compass, gazing downward, set against a dark background.

Archimedes

Greek mathematician and inventor

Alfred Krupp, portrait by Julius Grün, c. 1880

Alfred Krupp

German industrialist

Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Gustav

Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach

German diplomat and industrialist

Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, Alfried

Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach

German industrialist

Grace, William R.

William R. Grace

American businessman

default image

Shimazu Nariakira

Japanese feudal lord

Zaharoff

Sir Basil Zaharoff

Greek merchant

Albert Speer

Albert Speer

German architect and Nazi official

default image

John Pierpont Morgan, Jr.

American financier

default image

Eugène Schneider

French industrialist

William S. Knudsen

William S. Knudsen

Danish-born American industrialist

default image

Vannoccio Biringuccio

Italian metallurgist

default image

Emil von Škoda

German engineer and industrialist

A British North Lancashire Regiment patrol a street in the southern part of Cambrai, France, October 9, 1918.

Weapons and Warfare

James Watt as a young man, c1769. Scottish engineer and instrument maker. Invented the modern steam engine which became the main source of power in Britain's textile mills. His engine had a separate condenser in which steam from the cylinder; (see notes)

Weaponry, Energy, and Power Systems Quiz