Money and Gunpowder

MONEY

Although 19th century Britain was a leading nation in terms of industrial advancement, the 20th century marked a time of great economic depression. Countries such as Germany and the USA were proving to be highly competitive in the industrial race and began taking jobs away from Britain, leaving its citizens in poverty.

Travelling minster William Booth took it upon himself to educate the public of the reality of the situation. It wasn’t the poor that were leading the country down the path of financial decline, yet a number of reasons such as:

Unemployment or partial employment
Death or illness of the breadwinner
Low income
Large families and the unemployed

Movements to combat poverty came as government endorsed projects such as, the Unemployed Workmen’s Act in 1905, and the Employment of Children Act.

It became understood that the old were poor because of retirement and children were poor because their parents were poor. And in this case, with all three age groups being greatly affected, the Salvation Army found the perfect platform to spread their message.

Some facts about British currency in the 1900s!

Understand British currency now!

GUNPOWDER

Prior to the invention of gunpowder, many countries’ armed forces used various forms of early thermal weapons, including Greek Fire.

In a search funded by the Emperor Wu Di of the Han Dynasty in order to discover the elixir of life, 9th century Chinese taoist alchemists formulated gunpowder. The alchemists heated elements such as sulphur and potassium nitrate in the hopes of transforming them into this legendary potion. It was noted that when sulphur and potassium nitrate were combined with charcoal it created an explosive known commonly as: Gunpowder. Though gunpowder did not encourage the longevity of life, it was used a healing property to treat skin diseases before those discovered its potential as a weapon.

Read more about the history of gunpowder here.

Gunpowder also played a major role in the failed assassination attempt against the then King of England, King James I of England and VI of Scotland. Known in history as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, it marked the climactic peak of the struggle between practising protestants and Catholics in England. On November 5th, 1605, those who had gathered together to plot against the king, decided to fill a cellar in the House of Lords with barrels of gunpowder. The plans were foiled, however, when one of the conspirators feared for the life of his brother-in-law, a member of Parliament – who would be attending the meeting that day – and sent a warning to him. The brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, became suspicious and warned a man named Robert Cecil. Cecil then organized a search party and when they found the gunpowder they began to persecute those involved in the plot.

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