In 1867, a Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist invented a stable paste made by mixing highly unstable liquid nitroglycerin with porous silica sand called kieselguhr. The inventor was Alfred Nobel. He developed dynamite after years of work on explosives and detonators. Nitroglycerin was more powerful than black powder but was difficult to transport and handle. Nobel found that kieselguhr could absorb the liquid and form a material that was easier to handle. The invention received a British patent in 1867 and a US patent in 1868. Dynamite was later used for tunnels, canals, railways, roads and mining.
