Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel patented the blasting cap (detonator) in Stockholm, Sweden, solving the immense challenge of safely triggering nitroglycerin. By using a small charge of mercury fulminate to create a shockwave, Nobel could reliably detonate a less sensitive main explosive charge from a safe distance. This invention marked the official transition from simple deflagration (burning) to true high-explosive detonation in industrial settings.

The control of raw explosive force via an intentional spark shifted the thematic focus of industrial literature toward human mastery over chaotic elements. Poets used the blasting cap as a metaphor for the intellect dominating brute, explosive force.