Yahoo! News - China Becomes Only Third Nation to Put Man in Space: "China invented gunpowder and legend has it that a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) official named Wan Hu attempted the world's first space launch. He strapped himself to a chair with kites in each hand as 47 servants lit 47 gunpowder-packed bamboo tubes tied to the seat. When the smoke had cleared, Wan was apparently found to have been obliterated. But the dream survived. "
One of those days at the office when you have more ideas about the potential of gunpowder than you can ever put to a test. Surely Mr. Hu made the company newsletter with this new application of gunpowder technology? One will never know of his impact?