When Was “Liquid Fire” First Used in Warfare?
Long before the European war, an inflammable and destructive compound was used in warfare, especially by the Byzantine Greeks.
It was poured from caldrons and ladles, vomited through long copper tubes, or flung in pots, phials and barrels.
The art of compounding it was concealed at Constantinople with the greatest care, but it appears that naphtha, sulphur and nitre entered into its composition.