Invention of Cordite by Abel and Dewar
Poet involved
What happened
Sir Frederick Abel and Sir James Dewar developed and patented Cordite in London, England, as a smokeless propellant to compete with Nobel's Ballistite. Formulated as an extruded spaghetti-like cord, Cordite became the standard propellant for the British military and found widespread use in specialized industrial projectile equipment. The invention sparked a fierce patent lawsuit with Alfred Nobel, which Nobel ultimately lost.
Literary impact
The distinct, acrid smell of burning Cordite became an sensory staple in 20th-century war poetry and industrial literature. British imperial poets like Rudyard Kipling used the term 'cordite' to evoke the clinical reality of modern colonial enforcement and industrial dominance.
Source: Wikipedia
