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Talk:Eastern Orthodox Church

Moscow-Constantinople schism
After I reverted this edit of yours, asking for a reliable source, you re-added the claim that the Russian Orthodox Church has "split" from the Eastern Orthodox Church. The source you cite does not say that the Russian Church has split. It only says that the Russian Church "finds it impossible to continue Eucharistic community with" the Church of Constantinople. Only with Constantinople. Russian Church continues fill communion with most other Orthodox churched, like the Church of Serbia and the Church of Jerusalem. So, can you, please, revert your edit as it is not verifiable?  Vanjagenije  (talk)  21:20, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

 * what do you think being "impossible to continue Eucharistic community" with the orthodox church means for their membership in the orthodox church. Scu ba (talk) 01:16, 27 July 2023 (UTC)
 * No, they do not say that it is "impossible to continue Eucharistic community" with the orthodox church. They say that it is impossible to continue Eucharistic community with one particular Orthodox church, being the Church of Constantinople. They are still in the eucharistic communion with most other particular churches.  Vanjagenije  (talk)  09:16, 28 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Ecumenical Patriarch is the Primus inter pares, breaking with them is breaking with the orthodox church. Scu ba (talk) 02:20, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * As the article tells us, EOC "operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods". My understanding is that if church A breaks with B, churches C, D etc can remain in communion with both if they choose to. Johnbod (talk) 02:51, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * yes on paper the Patriarchs are equal. however, since the creation of the orthodox church, the Ecumenical Patriarch is the First Among Equals, the Primus inter pares, the leader of the orthodox church. they determine canon, they determine autocephalous status. breaking with them is breaking with the orthodox church. The Russian church is currently operating outside of the EOC, totally independently, since they have severed all communion with the Ecumenical Patriarch. Scu ba (talk) 03:25, 29 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Since you are the only one here with such understanding, you should revert your edit, and then seek consensus for its reinstatement (see WP:BRD).  Vanjagenije  (talk)  14:49, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Looks like original research, with only a primary source used. If they do not self-revert or respond I will revert this. Mellk (talk) 13:16, 31 July 2023 (UTC)
 * How is this original research, patriarch Kirill has directly stated, in plain black and white text, that the Russian Church is no longer affiliated with the Ecumenical Patriarch and is now independent of the Orthodox Church and its structure. Scu ba (talk) 17:11, 31 July 2023 (UTC)
 * No, he did not say that Russian Church [...] is now independent of the Orthodox Church and its structure. That is your original research.  Vanjagenije  (talk)  20:57, 31 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Rejecting the leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarch is rejecting the structure of the Orthodox church as a whole, but seeing as how contentious this is ill revert the edit until a consensus can be reached. Scu ba (talk) 00:41, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
 * There is not a single reliable source that says the Ecumenical Patriarch is the “leader” of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
 * Canonical breaks of communion are not new to the Eastern Orthodox Church and it has happened before in 1996 between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Constantinople This does not nor has it ever meant that the Churches that break away from the Ecumenical Patriarchate suddenly are their own, new Church.
 * During the Photian schism, the Patriarchate of Rome broke away from the Patriarchate of Constantinople, yet, there is not a single Church historian who claims that this was a breaking away of the Patriarchates or that Rome was now a new Church.
 * There was a similar schism between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the 15th and 16th centuries, yet again, no one considered the Moscow Patriarchate to suddenly be a new Church. Keep in mind this was at a time when communication was limited, and there was no formal (that is, nothing written down) document that amended the schism, it was reconciled 100 years later by Constantinople recognizing the Patriarchate status of the Metropolitan of Moscow, yet the Patriarchates of Moscow and Constantinople were both considered to be “in communion” after 1560.
 * Church history and Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology is an especially complex matter and making assumptions based off of a non-Orthodox source that the Ecumenical Patriarch is the “leader” of the whole Church and breaking communion with them means you’re no longer Eastern Orthodox only hurts Wikipedia’s reputation.
 * Oogalee Boogalee (talk) 02:18, 11 September 2023 (UTC)Oogalee Boogalee

Official name
Hi guys. I would like for you to correct the name/title, at least on the titles, to its complete form. It's not just Orthodox Catholic church. The full title is Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic church, as it is also mentioned in the creedo. Now I've tried one too many times myself which resulted in me getting banned from editing it😂 (I appealed it by explaining that I was not vandalizing). I didn't try it again because couple of months ago I had noticed that they fixed it, but I see that they removed the apostolic part again. I won't try changing it because I don't actually know how to cite a source, so I'm leaving this wall here for someone to notice. Thank you 94.66.58.243 (talk) 04:01, 28 September 2023 (UTC)

 * If you can find an official document produced by a synod, council or otherwise similar event that states the name official name of the entire Eastern Orthodox Church is the "Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church" then feel free to add it and cite it.
 * It is worth note that many times, this Church is often just called the Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church (especially by its own members) and the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church as per the Nicene creed, but many official names exist and are used in conjunction with Orthodox Catholic Church. For instance, baptismal certificates from the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America simply refer to the Church as the "Holy Eastern Orthodox Church" with no mention of Catholicity. Oogalee Boogalee (talk) 19:56, 1 October 2023 (UTC)

Arabic
For future reference, Arabic is a vernacular language of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Liturgical Languages would be those which have influenced traditions of Eastern Orthodox Churches and have a special place in the liturgy, such as Koine Greek or Church Slavonic. Arabic, on the other hand, is a vernacular language to the Orthodox Church in that it does not have a special significance like Greek or Slavonic does, and was not used widely by Orthodox Christians before the Muslim Arab conquests in the 7th and 8th centuries spread Arabic to Christian lands.

Furthermore, there is no "Arab Orthodox Church." Churches in Arabic-speaking lands almost entirely refer to themselves as Greek Orthodox. The traditional language of these churches is Greek, not Arabic, although Arabic is used in their services as the vernacular language. Oogalee Boogalee (talk) 19:47, 1 October 2023 (UTC)

Eastern Orthodoxy in other countries
You must say that "It is one of the dominant religions in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina and there is a significant historical minority in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine". All this information must be in the paragraph where all the orthodox-majority countries are listed. 188.172.111.72 (talk) 21:44, 5 February 2024 (UTC)
 * ❌. Please indicate sourcing that supports this. ~ Pbritti (talk) 21:45, 5 February 2024 (UTC)

Church or Churches
They are not even in full communion anymore after the 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism. And they have always been distinguished from each other along ethnic lines for hundred years. The title is misleading. I propose to change it to “Eastern Orthodox Churches”. We already got Oriental Orthodox Churches, so why does Eastern Orthodoxy got treated differently!? 75.157.108.212 (talk) 07:28, 3 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Eastern Orthodox Church


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Eusebius of Nicomedia

Eusebius of Nicomedia (Εὐσέβιος; died 341) was an Arian priest who baptized Constantine the Great on his deathbed in 337. A fifth-century legend evolved that Pope Sylvester I was the one to baptize Constantine, but this is dismissed by scholars as a forgery 'to amend the historical memory of the Arian baptism that the emperor received at the end of his life, and instead to attribute an unequivocally orthodox baptism to him.' He was a bishop of Berytus (modern-day Beirut) in Phoenicia. He was later made the bishop of Nicomedia, where the Imperial court resided. He lived finally in Constantinople from 338 up to his death.

Influence in the Imperial family and the Imperial court
Distantly related to the imperial family of Constantine, he owed his progression from a less significant Levantine bishopric to the most important episcopal see to his influence at court, and the great power he wielded in the church was derived from that source. In fact, during his time in the imperial court, the Eastern court and the major positions in the Eastern Church were held by Arians or Arian sympathizers. With the exception of a short period of eclipse, he enjoyed the confidence both of Constantine and Constantius II. He also served as the tutor of the later Emperor Julian the Apostate; and it was he who might have baptized Constantine the Great on May 22, 337 owing to his familial relationship with the emperor. Also during his time in the imperial court, Arianism became more popular with the royal family. It can be logically surmised that Eusebius had a huge hand in the acceptance of Arianism in the Constantinian household. The Arian influence grew so strong during his tenure in the imperial court that it was not until the end of the Constantinian dynasty and the appointment of Theodosius I that Arianism lost its influence in the empire.

It was of particular interest that Eusebius was nearly persecuted because of his close relationship to the Emperor Licinius while serving as bishop of Nicomedia during Licinius' reign.

Relationship with Arius
Like Arius, he was a pupil of Lucian of Antioch, and it is probable that he held the same views as Arius from the very beginning; he was also one of Arius' most fervent supporters who encouraged Arius. It was also because of this relationship that he was the first person whom Arius contacted after the latter was excommunicated from Alexandria by Alexander I of Alexandria in 321. Apparently, Arius and Eusebius were close enough and Eusebius powerful enough that Arius was able to put his theology down in writing. He afterward modified his ideas somewhat, or perhaps he only yielded to the pressure of circumstances; but he was, if not the teacher, at all events the leader and organizer of the Arian council.

At the First Council of Nicaea in 325, he signed the Confession, but only after a long and desperate opposition in which he was said to "subscribe with hand only, not heart" according to ancient sources. It was a huge blow to the Arian party since it was surmised that the participants in the First Council of Nicaea were evenly split between non-Arians and Arians. His defense of Arius angered the emperor, and a few months after the council he was sent into exile due to his continual contacts with Arius and his followers. After the lapse of three years, he succeeded in regaining the imperial favor by convincing Constantine that Arius and his views do not conflict with the proclaimed Nicene Creed. After his return in 329, he brought the whole machinery of the state government into action in order to impose his views upon the Church.

Political and religious career
In complement to his theological interests, Eusebius was a skilled politician. Upon his return, he regained the lost ground resulting from the First Council of Nicaea, established alliances with other groups such as the Melitians and expelled many opponents.

He was described by modern historians as an "ambitious intriguer" and a "consummate political player". He was also described by ancient sources as a high-handed person who was also aggressive in his dealings; he also used his allies to spy on his opponents.

He was able to dislodge and exile three key opponents who espoused the First Council of Nicaea: Eustathius of Antioch in 330, Athanasius of Alexandria in 335 and Marcellus of Ancyra in 336. This was no small feat since Athanasius was regarded as a "man of God" by Constantine, and both Eustathius and Athanasius held top positions in the church.

Another major feat was his appointment as the Patriarch of Constantinople by expelling Paul I of Constantinople; Paul would eventually return as Patriarch after Eusebius's death.

Even outside the empire, Eusebius had great influence. He brought Ulfilas into the Arian priesthood and sent the latter to convert the heathen Goths.

Eusebius baptised Constantine the Great in his villa in Nicomedia, on May 22, 337 just before the death of the Emperor.

Death and aftermath
He died at the height of his power in the year 341.

He was so influential that even after his death, Constantius II heeded his and Eudoxus of Constantinople's advice to attempt to convert the Roman Empire to Arianism by creating Arian Councils and official Arian Doctrines.

It was because of Eusebius that "On the whole, Constantine and his successors made life pretty miserable for Church leaders committed to the Nicene decision and its Trinitarian formula."

Eusebius of Nicomedia is not to be confused with his contemporary Eusebius of Caesarea, the author of well-known early books of Church History.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Eusebius of Nicomedia


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Edo

Edo, also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.

Edo, formerly a jōkamachi (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the de facto capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate. Edo grew to become one of the largest cities in the world under the Tokugawa.

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 the Meiji government renamed Edo as Tokyo (, "Eastern Capital") and relocated the Emperor from the historic capital of Kyoto to the city. The era of Tokugawa rule in Japan from 1603 to 1868 is known as the Edo period.

Before Tokugawa
Before the 10th century, there is no mention of Edo in historical records, but for a few settlements in the area. That name for the area first appears in the Azuma Kagami chronicles, being used probably since the second half of the Heian period. Edo's development started in the late 11th century with a branch of the Kanmu-Taira clan called the Chichibu clan (秩父氏) coming from the banks of the then-Iruma River, present day upstream of the Arakawa river. A descendant of the head of the Chichibu clan settled in the area and took the name Edo Shigetsugu (江戸重継), likely based on the name used for the place, and founded the Edo clan. Shigetsugu built a fortified residence, probably around the edge of the Musashino Terrace, that would become Edo castle. Shigetsugu's son, Edo Shigenaga (江戸重長), took the Taira's side against Minamoto no Yoritomo in 1180 but eventually surrendered to Minamoto and became a gokenin for the Kamakura shogunate. At the fall of the shogunate in the 14th century, the Edo clan took the side of the Southern Court, and its influence declined during the Muromachi period.

In 1456, a vassal of the Ōgigayatsu branch of the Uesugi clan started to build a castle on the former fortified residence of the Edo clan and took the name Ōta Dōkan. Dōkan lived in the castle until his assassination in 1486. Under Dōkan, with good water connections to Kamakura, Odawara and other parts of Kanto and the country, Edo expanded as a jōkamachi, with the castle bordering a cove (now Hibiya Park) opening into Edo Bay, and the town developing along the Hirakawa River running into the cove, and on Edomaeto (江戸前島), the stretch of land on the eastern side of the cove (now roughly where Tokyo Station is). Some priests and scholars fleeing Kyoto after the Ōnin War came to Edo during that period.

After the death of Dōkan, the castle became one of strongholds of the Uesugi clan, which fell to the Later Hōjō clan at the battle of Takanawahara in 1524, during the expansion of their rule over the Kantō area. When the Hōjō clan was finally defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, the Kanto area was given to rule to Toyotomi's senior officer Tokugawa Ieyasu, who took his residence in Edo.

Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as the paramount warlord of the Sengoku period following his victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in October 1600. He formally founded the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and established his headquarters at Edo Castle. Edo became the center of political power and the de facto capital of Japan, although the historic capital of Kyoto remained the de jure capital as the seat of the emperor. Edo grew from a fishing village in Musashi Province in 1457 into the largest metropolis in the world, with an estimated population of 1 million by 1721.

Edo was repeatedly devastated by fires, the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 being the most disastrous, with an estimated 100,000 victims and a vast portion of the city completely burnt. The population of Edo was around 300,000, and the impact of the fire was tremendous. The fire destroyed the central keep of Edo Castle, which was never rebuilt, and it influenced the urban planning afterwards to make the city more resilient, with many empty areas to break spreading fires, and wider streets. Reconstruction efforts expanded the city east of the Sumida River, and some daimyō residences were relocated to give more space to the city, especially in the immediate vicinity of the shogun's residence, creating a large green space beside the castle, now the Fukiage gardens of the Imperial Palace. During the Edo period, there were about 100 major fires, mostly begun by accident and often quickly escalating and spreading through neighborhoods of wooden nagaya that were heated with charcoal fires.

In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown in the Meiji Restoration by supporters of Emperor Meiji and his Imperial Court in Kyoto, ending Edo's status as the de facto capital of Japan. However, the new Meiji government soon renamed Edo to Tōkyō (東京, "Eastern Capital") and the city became the formal capital of Japan when the emperor moved his residence to the city.

Urbanism
Very quickly after its inception, the shogunate undertook major works in Edo that drastically changed the topography of the area, notably under the Tenka-Bushin (天下普請) nationwide program of major civil works involving the now pacified daimyō workforce. The Hibiya cove facing the castle was soon filled after the arrival of Ieyasu, the Hirakawa river was diverted, and several protective moats and logistical canals were dug (including the Kanda river), to limit the risks of flooding. Landfill works on the bay began, with several areas reclaimed during the duration of the shogunate (notably the Tsukiji area). East of the city and of the Sumida River, a massive network of canals was dug.

Fresh water was a major issue, as direct wells would provide brackish water because of the location of the city over an estuary. The few fresh water ponds of the city were put to use, and a network of canals and underground wooden pipes bringing freshwater from the western side of the city and the Tama River was built. Some of this infrastructure was used until the 20th century.

General layout of the city
The city was laid out as a castle town around Edo Castle, which was positioned at the tip of the Musashino terrace. The area in the immediate proximity of the castle consisted of samurai and daimyō residences, whose families lived in Edo as part of the sankin-kōtai system; the daimyō made journeys in alternating years to Edo and used the residences for their entourages. The location of each residence was carefully attributed depending on their position as tozama, shinpan or fudai. It was this extensive organization of the city for the samurai class which defined the character of Edo, particularly in contrast to the two major cities of Kyoto and Osaka, neither of which were ruled by a daimyō or had a significant samurai population. Kyoto's character was defined by the Imperial Court, the court nobles, its Buddhist temples and its history; Osaka was the country's commercial center, dominated by the chōnin or the merchant class. On the contrary, the samurai and daimyō residences occupied up to 70% of the area of Edo. On the east and northeast sides of the castle lived the Shomin (庶民) including the chōnin in a much more densely populated area than the samurai class area, organized in a series of gated communities called machi (町, "town" or "village"). This area, Shitamachi (下町, "lower town" or "lower towns"), was the center of urban and merchant culture. Shomin also lived along the main roads leading in and out of the city. The Sumida River, then called the Great River (大川, Ōkawa), ran on the eastern side of the city. The shogunate's official rice-storage warehouses and other official buildings were located here.

The Nihonbashi bridge (日本橋) marked the center of the city's commercial center and the starting point of the gokaidō (thus making it the de facto "center of the country"). Fishermen, craftsmen and other producers and retailers operated here. Shippers managed ships known as tarubune to and from Osaka and other cities, bringing goods into the city or transferring them from sea routes to river barges or land routes.

The northeastern corner of the city was considered dangerous in the traditional onmyōdō cosmology and was protected from evil by a number of temples including Sensō-ji and Kan'ei-ji, one of the two tutelary Bodaiji temples of the Tokugawa. A path and a canal, a short distance north of Sensō-ji, extended west from the Sumida riverbank leading along the northern edge of the city to the Yoshiwara pleasure district. Previously located near Ningyōchō, the district was rebuilt in this more remote location after the great fire of Meireki. Danzaemon, the hereditary position head of eta, or outcasts, who performed "unclean" works in the city resided nearby.

Temples and shrines occupied roughly 15% of the surface of the city, equivalent to the living areas of the townspeople, with however an average of one-tenth of its population. Temples and shrines were spread out over the city. Besides the large concentration in the northeast side to protect the city, the second Bodaiji of the Tokugawa, Zōjō-ji occupied a large area south of the castle.

Military caste
The samurai and daimyōs residential estates varied dramatically in size depending on their status. Some daimyōs could have several of those residences in Edo. The upper residence (上屋敷), was the main residence while the lord was in Edo and was used for official duties. It was not necessarily the largest of his residences, but the most convenient to commute to the castle. The upper residence also acted as the representative embassy of the domain in Edo, connecting the shogunate and the clan. The shogunate did not exercise its investigative powers inside the precincts of the residential estate of the upper residence, which could also act as a refuge. The estate of the upper residence was attributed by the shogunate according to the status of the clan and its relation with the Shogun. The middle residence (中屋敷), a bit further from the castle, could house the heir of the lord, his servants from his fief when he was in Edo for the sankin-kotai alternate residency, or be a hiding residence if needed. The lower residence (下屋敷), if there was any, was on the outskirts of town, more of a pleasure retreat with gardens. The lower residence could also be used as a retreat for the lord if a fire had devastated the city. Some of the powerful daimyōs residences occupied vast grounds of several dozens of hectares. Maintenance and operations of those residential estates could be extremely expensive. Samurai in service of a specific clan would normally live in the residence of their lord.

The hatamoto samurais, in direct service of the Shogun, would have their own residences, usually located behind the castle on the Western side in the Banchō area.

Shonin
In a strict sense of the word, chōnin were only the townspeople who owned their residence, which was actually a minority. The shonin population mainly lived in semi-collective housings called nagaya (長屋), multi-rooms wooden dwellings, organized in enclosed machi (町), with communal facilities, such as wells connected to the city's fresh water distribution system, garbage collection area and communal bathrooms. A typical machi was of rectangular shape and could have a population of several hundred.

The machi had curfew for the night with closing and guarded gates called kidomon (木戸門) opening on the main street (表通り) in the machi. Two floor buildings and larger shops, reserved to the higher-ranking members of the society, were facing the main street. A machi would typically follow a grid pattern and smaller streets, Shinmichi (新道), were opening on the main street, also with (sometimes) two-floor buildings, shop on the first floor, living quarter on the second floor, for the more well-off residents. Very narrow streets accessible through small gates called roji (路地), would enter deeper inside the machi, where single floor nagayas, the uranagayas (裏長屋) were located. Rentals and smaller rooms for lower ranked shonin were located in those back housings.

Edo was nicknamed the City of 808 machi (江戸八百八町), depicting the large number and diversity of those communities, but the actual number was closer to 1,700 by the 18th century.

Government and administration
Edo's municipal government was under the responsibility of the rōjū, the senior officials who oversaw the entire bakufu – the government of the Tokugawa shogunate. The administrative definition of Edo was called Gofunai (御府内).

The Kanjō-bugyō (finance commissioners) were responsible for the financial matters of the shogunate, whereas the Jisha-Bugyō handled matters related to shrines and temples. The Machi-bugyō (町奉行) were samurai (at the very beginning of the shogunate daimyōs, later hatamoto) officials appointed to keep the order in the city, with the word designating both the heading magistrate, the magistrature and its organization. They were in charge of Edo's day-to-day administration, combining the role of police, judge and fire brigade. There were two offices, the South Machi-Bugyō and the North Machi-Bugyō, which had the same geographical jurisdiction in spite of their name but rotated roles on a monthly basis. Despite their extensive responsibilities, the teams of the Machi-Bugyō were rather small, with 2 offices of 125 people each. The Machi-Bugyō did not have jurisdiction over the samurai residential areas, which remained under the shogunate direct rule. The geographical jurisdiction of the Machi-Bugyō did not exactly coincide with the Gofunai, creating some complexity on the handling on the matters of the city. The Machi-bugyō oversaw the numerous Machi where shonin lived through representatives called Machidoshiyori (町年寄). Each Machi had a Machi leader called Nanushi (名主), who reported to a Machidoshiyori (町年寄) who himself was in charge of several Machis.

title: Edo


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Explosive

An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An explosive charge is a measured quantity of explosive material, which may either be composed solely of one ingredient or be a mixture containing at least two substances.

The potential energy stored in an explosive material may, for example, be
 * chemical energy, such as nitroglycerin or grain dust
 * pressurized gas, such as a gas cylinder, aerosol can, or BLEVE
 * nuclear energy, such as in the fissile isotopes uranium-235 and plutonium-239

Explosive materials may be categorized by the speed at which they expand. Materials that detonate (the front of the chemical reaction moves faster through the material than the speed of sound) are said to be "high explosives" and materials that deflagrate are said to be "low explosives". Explosives may also be categorized by their sensitivity. Sensitive materials that can be initiated by a relatively small amount of heat or pressure are primary explosives and materials that are relatively insensitive are secondary or tertiary explosives.

A wide variety of chemicals can explode; a smaller number are manufactured specifically for the purpose of being used as explosives. The remainder are too dangerous, sensitive, toxic, expensive, unstable, or prone to decomposition or degradation over short time spans.

In contrast, some materials are merely combustible or flammable if they burn without exploding.

The distinction, however, is not razor-sharp. Certain materials—dusts, powders, gases, or volatile organic liquids—may be simply combustible or flammable under ordinary conditions, but become explosive in specific situations or forms, such as dispersed airborne clouds, or confinement or sudden release.

History
Early thermal weapons, such as Greek fire, have existed since ancient times. At its roots, the history of chemical explosives lies in the history of gunpowder. During the Tang dynasty in the 9th century, Taoist Chinese alchemists were eagerly trying to find the elixir of immortality. In the process, they stumbled upon the explosive invention of black powder made from coal, saltpeter, and sulfur in 1044. Gunpowder was the first form of chemical explosives and by 1161, the Chinese were using explosives for the first time in warfare. The Chinese would incorporate explosives fired from bamboo or bronze tubes known as bamboo firecrackers. The Chinese also inserted live rats inside the bamboo firecrackers; when fired toward the enemy, the flaming rats created great psychological ramifications—scaring enemy soldiers away and causing cavalry units to go wild.

The first useful explosive stronger than black powder was nitroglycerin, developed in 1847. Since nitroglycerin is a liquid and highly unstable, it was replaced by nitrocellulose, trinitrotoluene (TNT) in 1863, smokeless powder, dynamite in 1867 and gelignite (the latter two being sophisticated stabilized preparations of nitroglycerin rather than chemical alternatives, both invented by Alfred Nobel). World War I saw the adoption of TNT in artillery shells. World War II saw extensive use of new explosives (see List of explosives used during World War II).

In turn, these have largely been replaced by more powerful explosives such as C-4 and PETN. However, C-4 and PETN react with metal and catch fire easily, yet unlike TNT, C-4 and PETN are waterproof and malleable.

Commercial
The largest commercial application of explosives is mining. Whether the mine is on the surface or is buried underground, the detonation or deflagration of either a high or low explosive in a confined space can be used to liberate a fairly specific sub-volume of a brittle material (rock) in a much larger volume of the same or similar material. The mining industry tends to use nitrate-based explosives such as emulsions of fuel oil and ammonium nitrate solutions, mixtures of ammonium nitrate prills (fertilizer pellets) and fuel oil (ANFO) and gelatinous suspensions or slurries of ammonium nitrate and combustible fuels.

In materials science and engineering, explosives are used in cladding (explosion welding). A thin plate of some material is placed atop a thick layer of a different material, both layers typically of metal. Atop the thin layer is placed an explosive. At one end of the layer of explosive, the explosion is initiated. The two metallic layers are forced together at high speed and with great force. The explosion spreads from the initiation site throughout the explosive. Ideally, this produces a metallurgical bond between the two layers.

As the length of time the shock wave spends at any point is small, we can see mixing of the two metals and their surface chemistries, through some fraction of the depth, and they tend to be mixed in some way. It is possible that some fraction of the surface material from either layer eventually gets ejected when the end of material is reached. Hence, the mass of the now "welded" bilayer, may be less than the sum of the masses of the two initial layers.

There are applications where a shock wave, and electrostatics, can result in high velocity projectiles such as in an electrostatic particle accelerator.

Chemical

An explosion is a type of spontaneous chemical reaction that, once initiated, is driven by both a large exothermic change (great release of heat) and a large positive entropy change (great quantities of gases are released) in going from reactants to products, thereby constituting a thermodynamically favorable process in addition to one that propagates very rapidly. Thus, explosives are substances that contain a large amount of energy stored in chemical bonds. The energetic stability of the gaseous products and hence their generation comes from the formation of strongly bonded species like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and (di)nitrogen, which contain strong double and triple bonds having bond strengths of nearly 1 MJ/mole. Consequently, most commercial explosives are organic compounds containing –NO2, –ONO2 and –NHNO2 groups that, when detonated, release gases like the aforementioned (e.g., nitroglycerin, TNT, HMX, PETN, nitrocellulose).

An explosive is classified as a low or high explosive according to its rate of combustion: low explosives burn rapidly (or deflagrate), while high explosives detonate. While these definitions are distinct, the problem of precisely measuring rapid decomposition makes practical classification of explosives difficult. For a reaction to be classified as a detonation, as opposed to just a deflagration, the propagation of the reaction shockwave through the material being testing must be faster than the speed of sound through that material. The speed of sound through a liquid or solid material is usually orders of magnitude faster than the speed of sound through air or other gases.

Traditional explosives mechanics is based on the shock-sensitive rapid oxidation of carbon and hydrogen to carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water in the form of steam. Nitrates typically provide the required oxygen to burn the carbon and hydrogen fuel. High explosives tend to have the oxygen, carbon and hydrogen contained in one organic molecule, and less sensitive explosives like ANFO are combinations of fuel (carbon and hydrogen fuel oil) and ammonium nitrate. A sensitizer such as powdered aluminum may be added to an explosive to increase the energy of the detonation. Once detonated, the nitrogen portion of the explosive formulation emerges as nitrogen gas and toxic nitric oxides.

Decomposition
The chemical decomposition of an explosive may take years, days, hours, or a fraction of a second. The slower processes of decomposition take place in storage and are of interest only from a stability standpoint. Of more interest are the other two rapid forms besides decomposition: deflagration and detonation.

Deflagration
In deflagration, decomposition of the explosive material is propagated by a flame front which moves slowly through the explosive material at speeds less than the speed of sound within the substance (which is usually higher than 340 m/s or 1240 km/h in most liquid or solid materials) in contrast to detonation, which occurs at speeds greater than the speed of sound. Deflagration is a characteristic of low explosive material.

Detonation
This term is used to describe an explosive phenomenon whereby the decomposition is propagated by a shock wave traversing the explosive material at speeds greater than the speed of sound within the substance. The shock front is capable of passing through the high explosive material at supersonic speeds, typically thousands of metres per second.

Exotic
In addition to chemical explosives, there are a number of more exotic explosive materials, and exotic methods of causing explosions. Examples include nuclear explosives, and abruptly heating a substance to a plasma state with a high-intensity laser or electric arc.

Laser- and arc-heating are used in laser detonators, exploding-bridgewire detonators, and exploding foil initiators, where a shock wave and then detonation in conventional chemical explosive material is created by laser- or electric-arc heating. Laser and electric energy are not currently used in practice to generate most of the required energy, but only to initiate reactions.

Properties
To determine the suitability of an explosive substance for a particular use, its physical properties must first be known. The usefulness of an explosive can only be appreciated when the properties and the factors affecting them are fully understood. Some of the more important characteristics are listed below:

Sensitivity
Sensitivity refers to the ease with which an explosive can be ignited or detonated, i.e., the amount and intensity of shock, friction, or heat that is required. When the term sensitivity is used, care must be taken to clarify what kind of sensitivity is under discussion. The relative sensitivity of a given explosive to impact may vary greatly from its sensitivity to friction or heat. Some of the test methods used to determine sensitivity relate to:
 * Impact – Sensitivity is expressed in terms of the distance through which a standard weight must be dropped onto the material to cause it to explode.
 * Friction – Sensitivity is expressed in terms of the amount of pressure applied to the material in order to create enough friction to cause a reaction.
 * Heat – Sensitivity is expressed in terms of the temperature at which decomposition of the material occurs.

Specific explosives (usually but not always highly sensitive on one or more of the three above axes) may be idiosyncratically sensitive to such factors as pressure drop, acceleration, the presence of sharp edges or rough surfaces, incompatible materials, or even—in rare cases—nuclear or electromagnetic radiation. These factors present special hazards that may rule out any practical utility.

Sensitivity is an important consideration in selecting an explosive for a particular purpose. The explosive in an armor-piercing projectile must be relatively insensitive, or the shock of impact would cause it to detonate before it penetrated to the point desired. The explosive lenses around nuclear charges are also designed to be highly insensitive, to minimize the risk of accidental detonation.

Sensitivity to initiation
The index of the capacity of an explosive to be initiated into detonation in a sustained manner. It is defined by the power of the detonator which is certain to prime the explosive to a sustained and continuous detonation. Reference is made to the Sellier-Bellot scale that consists of a series of 10 detonators, from n. 1 to n. 10, each of which corresponds to an increasing charge weight. In practice, most of the explosives on the market today are sensitive to an n. 8 detonator, where the charge corresponds to 2 grams of mercury fulminate.

Velocity of detonation
The velocity with which the reaction process propagates in the mass of the explosive. Most commercial mining explosives have detonation velocities ranging from 1800 m/s to 8000 m/s. Today, velocity of detonation can be measured with accuracy. Together with density it is an important element influencing the yield of the energy transmitted for both atmospheric over-pressure and ground acceleration. By definition, a "low explosive", such as black powder, or smokeless gunpowder has a burn rate of 171–631 m/s. In contrast, a "high explosive", whether a primary, such as detonating cord, or a secondary, such as TNT or C-4, has a significantly higher burn rate about 6900–8092 m/s.

Stability
Stability  is the ability of an explosive to be stored without deterioration.

The following factors affect the stability of an explosive:
 * Chemical constitution. In the strictest technical sense, the word "stability" is a thermodynamic term referring to the energy of a substance relative to a reference state or to some other substance. However, in the context of explosives, stability commonly refers to ease of detonation, which is concerned with chemical kinetics (i.e., rate of decomposition). It is perhaps best, then, to differentiate between the terms thermodynamically stable and kinetically stable by referring to the former as "inert." Contrarily, a kinetically unstable substance is said to be "labile." It is generally recognized that certain groups like nitro (–NO2), nitrate (–ONO2), and azide (–N3), are intrinsically labile. Kinetically, there exists a low activation barrier to the decomposition reaction. Consequently, these compounds exhibit high sensitivity to flame or mechanical shock. The chemical bonding in these compounds is characterized as predominantly covalent and thus they are not thermodynamically stabilized by a high ionic-lattice energy. Furthermore, they generally have positive enthalpies of formation and there is little mechanistic hindrance to internal molecular rearrangement to yield the more thermodynamically stable (more strongly bonded) decomposition products. For example, in lead azide, Pb(N3)2, the nitrogen atoms are already bonded to one another, so decomposition into Pb and N2[1] is relatively easy.
 * Temperature of storage. The rate of decomposition of explosives increases at higher temperatures. All standard military explosives may be considered to have a high degree of stability at temperatures from –10 to +35 °C, but each has a high temperature at which its rate of thermal decomposition decomposition rapidly accelerates and stability is reduced. As a rule of thumb, most explosives become dangerously unstable at temperatures above 70 °C.
 * Exposure to sunlight. When exposed to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, many explosive compounds containing nitrogen groups rapidly decompose, affecting their stability.
 * Electrical discharge. Electrostatic or spark sensitivity to initiation is common in a number of explosives. Static or other electrical discharge may be sufficient to cause a reaction, even detonation, under some circumstances. As a result, safe handling of explosives and pyrotechnics usually requires proper electrical grounding of the operator.

Power, performance, and strength
The term power or performance as applied to an explosive refers to its ability to do work. In practice it is defined as the explosive's ability to accomplish what is intended in the way of energy delivery (i.e., fragment projection, air blast, high-velocity jet, underwater shock and bubble energy, etc.). Explosive power or performance is evaluated by a tailored series of tests to assess the material for its intended use. Of the tests listed below, cylinder expansion and air-blast tests are common to most testing programs, and the others support specific applications.
 * Cylinder expansion test. A standard amount of explosive is loaded into a long hollow cylinder, usually of copper, and detonated at one end. Data is collected concerning the rate of radial expansion of the cylinder and the maximum cylinder wall velocity. This also establishes the Gurney energy or 2E.
 * Cylinder fragmentation. A standard steel cylinder is loaded with explosive and detonated in a sawdust pit. The fragments are collected and the size distribution analyzed.
 * Detonation pressure (Chapman–Jouguet condition). Detonation pressure data derived from measurements of shock waves transmitted into water by the detonation of cylindrical explosive charges of a standard size.
 * Determination of critical diameter. This test establishes the minimum physical size a charge of a specific explosive must be to sustain its own detonation wave. The procedure involves the detonation of a series of charges of different diameters until difficulty in detonation wave propagation is observed.
 * Massive-diameter detonation velocity. Detonation velocity is dependent on loading density (c), charge diameter, and grain size. The hydrodynamic theory of detonation used in predicting explosive phenomena does not include the diameter of the charge, and therefore a detonation velocity, for a massive diameter. This procedure requires the firing of a series of charges of the same density and physical structure, but different diameters, and the extrapolation of the resulting detonation velocities to predict the detonation velocity of a charge of a massive diameter.
 * Pressure versus scaled distance. A charge of a specific size is detonated and its pressure effects measured at a standard distance. The values obtained are compared with those for TNT.
 * Impulse versus scaled distance. A charge of a specific size is detonated and its impulse (the area under the pressure-time curve) measured as a function of distance. The results are tabulated and expressed as TNT equivalents.
 * Relative bubble energy (RBE). A 5 to 50 kg charge is detonated in water and piezoelectric gauges measure peak pressure, time constant, impulse, and energy.
 * The RBE may be defined as Kx 3
 * RBE = Ks
 * where K = the bubble expansion period for an experimental (x) or a standard (s) charge.

Brisance
In addition to strength, explosives display a second characteristic, which is their shattering effect or brisance (from the French meaning to "break"), which is distinguished and separate from their total work capacity. This characteristic is of practical importance in determining the effectiveness of an explosion in fragmenting shells, bomb casings, grenades, and the like. The rapidity with which an explosive reaches its peak pressure (power) is a measure of its brisance. Brisance values are primarily employed in France and Russia.

The sand crush test is commonly employed to determine the relative brisance in comparison to TNT. No test is capable of directly comparing the explosive properties of two or more compounds; it is important to examine the data from several such tests (sand crush, trauzl, and so forth) in order to gauge relative brisance. True values for comparison require field experiments.

Density
Density of loading refers to the mass of an explosive per unit volume. Several methods of loading are available, including pellet loading, cast loading, and press loading, the choice being determined by the characteristics of the explosive. Dependent upon the method employed, an average density of the loaded charge can be obtained that is within 80–99% of the theoretical maximum density of the explosive. High load density can reduce sensitivity by making the mass more resistant to internal friction. However, if density is increased to the extent that individual crystals are crushed, the explosive may become more sensitive. Increased load density also permits the use of more explosive, thereby increasing the power of the warhead. It is possible to compress an explosive beyond a point of sensitivity, known also as dead-pressing, in which the material is no longer capable of being reliably initiated, if at all.

Volatility
Volatility is the readiness with which a substance vaporizes. Excessive volatility often results in the development of pressure within rounds of ammunition and separation of mixtures into their constituents. Volatility affects the chemical composition of the explosive such that a marked reduction in stability may occur, which results in an increase in the danger of handling.

Hygroscopicity and water resistance
The introduction of water into an explosive is highly undesirable since it reduces the sensitivity, strength, and velocity of detonation of the explosive. Hygroscopicity is a measure of a material's moisture-absorbing tendencies. Moisture affects explosives adversely by acting as an inert material that absorbs heat when vaporized, and by acting as a solvent medium that can cause undesired chemical reactions. Sensitivity, strength, and velocity of detonation are reduced by inert materials that reduce the continuity of the explosive mass. When the moisture content evaporates during detonation, cooling occurs, which reduces the temperature of reaction. Stability is also affected by the presence of moisture since moisture promotes decomposition of the explosive and, in addition, causes corrosion of the explosive's metal container.

Explosives considerably differ from one another as to their behavior in the presence of water. Gelatin dynamites containing nitroglycerine have a degree of water resistance. Explosives based on ammonium nitrate have little or no water resistance as ammonium nitrate is highly soluble in water and is hygroscopic.

Toxicity
Many explosives are toxic to some extent. Manufacturing inputs can also be organic compounds or hazardous materials that require special handling due to risks (such as carcinogens). The decomposition products, residual solids, or gases of some explosives can be toxic, whereas others are harmless, such as carbon dioxide and water.

Examples of harmful by-products are:
 * Heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, and barium from primers (observed in high-volume firing ranges)
 * Nitric oxides from TNT
 * Perchlorates when used in large quantities

"Green explosives" seek to reduce environment and health impacts. An example of such is the lead-free primary explosive copper(I) 5-nitrotetrazolate, an alternative to lead azide.

Explosive train
Explosive material may be incorporated in the explosive train of a device or system. An example is a pyrotechnic lead igniting a booster, which causes the main charge to detonate.

Volume of products of explosion
The most widely used explosives are condensed liquids or solids converted to gaseous products by explosive chemical reactions and the energy released by those reactions. The gaseous products of complete reaction are typically carbon dioxide, steam, and nitrogen. Gaseous volumes computed by the ideal gas law tend to be too large at high pressures characteristic of explosions. Ultimate volume expansion may be estimated at three orders of magnitude, or one liter per gram of explosive. Explosives with an oxygen deficit will generate soot or gases like carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which may react with surrounding materials such as atmospheric oxygen. Attempts to obtain more precise volume estimates must consider the possibility of such side reactions, condensation of steam, and aqueous solubility of gases like carbon dioxide.

Oxygen balance (OB% or Ω)
Oxygen balance is an expression that is used to indicate the degree to which an explosive can be oxidized. If an explosive molecule contains just enough oxygen to convert all of its carbon to carbon dioxide, all of its hydrogen to water, and all of its metal to metal oxide with no excess, the molecule is said to have a zero oxygen balance. The molecule is said to have a positive oxygen balance if it contains more oxygen than is needed and a negative oxygen balance if it contains less oxygen than is needed. The sensitivity, strength, and brisance of an explosive are all somewhat dependent upon oxygen balance and tend to approach their maxima as oxygen balance approaches zero.

Chemical composition
A chemical explosive may consist of either a chemically pure compound, such as nitroglycerin, or a mixture of a fuel and an oxidizer, such as black powder or grain dust and air.

Pure compounds
Some chemical compounds are unstable in that, when shocked, they react, possibly to the point of detonation. Each molecule of the compound dissociates into two or more new molecules (generally gases) with the release of energy.
 * Nitroglycerin: A highly unstable and sensitive liquid
 * Acetone peroxide: A very unstable white organic peroxide
 * TNT: Yellow insensitive crystals that can be melted and cast without detonation
 * Cellulose nitrate: A nitrated polymer which can be a high or low explosive depending on nitration level and conditions
 * RDX, PETN, HMX: Very powerful explosives which can be used pure or in plastic explosives
 * C-4 (or Composition C-4): An RDX plastic explosive plasticized to be adhesive and malleable

The above compositions may describe most of the explosive material, but a practical explosive will often include small percentages of other substances. For example, dynamite is a mixture of highly sensitive nitroglycerin with sawdust, powdered silica, or most commonly diatomaceous earth, which act as stabilizers. Plastics and polymers may be added to bind powders of explosive compounds; waxes may be incorporated to make them safer to handle; aluminium powder may be introduced to increase total energy and blast effects. Explosive compounds are also often "alloyed": HMX or RDX powders may be mixed (typically by melt-casting) with TNT to form Octol or Cyclotol.

Oxidized fuel
An oxidizer is a pure substance (molecule) that in a chemical reaction can contribute some atoms of one or more oxidizing elements, in which the fuel component of the explosive burns. On the simplest level, the oxidizer may itself be an oxidizing element, such as gaseous or liquid oxygen.
 * Black powder: Potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur
 * Flash powder: Fine metal powder (usually aluminium or magnesium) and a strong oxidizer (e.g. potassium chlorate or perchlorate)
 * Ammonal: Ammonium nitrate and aluminium powder
 * Armstrong's mixture: Potassium chlorate and red phosphorus. This is a very sensitive mixture. It is a primary high explosive in which sulfur is substituted for some or all of the phosphorus to slightly decrease sensitivity.
 * Sprengel explosives: A very general class incorporating any strong oxidizer and highly reactive fuel, although in practice the name was most commonly applied to mixtures of chlorates and nitroaromatics.
 * ANFO: Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil
 * Cheddites: Chlorates or perchlorates and oil
 * Oxyliquits: Mixtures of organic materials and liquid oxygen
 * Panclastites: Mixtures of organic materials and dinitrogen tetroxide

Availability and cost
The availability and cost of explosives are determined by the availability of the raw materials and the cost, complexity, and safety of the manufacturing operations.

Primary
A primary explosive is an explosive that is extremely sensitive to stimuli such as impact, friction, heat, static electricity, or electromagnetic radiation. Some primary explosives are also known as contact explosives. A relatively small amount of energy is required for initiation. As a very general rule, primary explosives are considered to be those compounds that are more sensitive than PETN. As a practical measure, primary explosives are sufficiently sensitive that they can be reliably initiated with a blow from a hammer; however, PETN can also usually be initiated in this manner, so this is only a very broad guideline. Additionally, several compounds, such as nitrogen triiodide, are so sensitive that they cannot even be handled without detonating. Nitrogen triiodide is so sensitive that it can be reliably detonated by exposure to alpha radiation; it is the only explosive for which this is true.

Primary explosives are often used in detonators or to trigger larger charges of less sensitive secondary explosives. Primary explosives are commonly used in blasting caps and percussion caps to translate a physical shock signal. In other situations, different signals such as electrical or physical shock, or, in the case of laser detonation systems, light, are used to initiate an action, i.e., an explosion. A small quantity, usually milligrams, is sufficient to initiate a larger charge of explosive that is usually safer to handle.

Examples of primary high explosives are:

 * Acetone peroxide
 * Alkali metal ozonides
 * Ammonium permanganate
 * Ammonium chlorate
 * Azidotetrazolates
 * Azoclathrates
 * Benzoyl peroxide
 * Benzvalene
 * 3,5-Bis(trinitromethyl)tetrazole
 * Chlorine oxides
 * Copper(I) acetylide
 * Copper(II) azide
 * Cumene hydroperoxide
 * CXP CycloProp(-2-)enyl Nitrate (or CPN)
 * Cyanogen azide
 * Cyanuric triazide
 * Diacetyl peroxide
 * 1-Diazidocarbamoyl-5-azidotetrazole
 * Diazodinitrophenol
 * Diazomethane
 * Diethyl ether peroxide
 * 4-Dimethylaminophenylpentazole
 * Disulfur dinitride
 * Ethyl azide
 * Explosive antimony
 * Fluorine perchlorate
 * Fulminic acid
 * Halogen azides:
 * Fluorine azide
 * Chlorine azide
 * Bromine azide
 * Iodine azide
 * Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine
 * Hydrazoic acid
 * Hypofluorous acid
 * Lead azide
 * Lead styphnate
 * Lead picrate
 * Manganese heptoxide
 * Mercury(II) fulminate
 * Mercury nitride
 * Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide
 * Nickel hydrazine nitrate
 * Nickel hydrazine perchlorate
 * Nitrogen trihalides:
 * Nitrogen trichloride
 * Nitrogen tribromide
 * Nitrogen triiodide
 * Nitroglycerin
 * Nitronium perchlorate
 * Nitrosyl perchlorate
 * Nitrotetrazolate-N-oxides
 * Pentazenium hexafluoroarsenate
 * Peroxy acids
 * Peroxymonosulfuric acid
 * Selenium tetraazide
 * Silicon tetraazide
 * Silver azide
 * Silver acetylide
 * Silver fulminate
 * Silver nitride
 * Tellurium tetraazide
 * tert-Butyl hydroperoxide
 * Tetraamine copper complexes
 * Tetraazidomethane
 * Tetrazene explosive
 * Tetrazoles
 * Titanium tetraazide
 * Triazidomethane
 * Oxides of xenon:
 * Xenon dioxide
 * Xenon oxytetrafluoride
 * Xenon tetroxide
 * Xenon trioxide

Secondary
A secondary explosive is less sensitive than a primary explosive and requires substantially more energy to be initiated. Because they are less sensitive, they are usable in a wider variety of applications and are safer to handle and store. Secondary explosives are used in larger quantities in an explosive train and are usually initiated by a smaller quantity of a primary explosive.

Examples of secondary explosives include TNT and RDX.

Tertiary
Tertiary explosives, also called blasting agents, are so insensitive to shock that they cannot be reliably detonated by practical quantities of primary explosive, and instead require an intermediate explosive booster of secondary explosive. These are often used for safety and the typically lower costs of material and handling. The largest consumers are large-scale mining and construction operations.

Most tertiaries include a fuel and an oxidizer. ANFO can be a tertiary explosive if its reaction rate is slow.

Low
Low explosives (or low-order explosives) are compounds wherein the rate of decomposition proceeds through the material at less than the speed of sound. The decomposition is propagated by a flame front (deflagration) which travels much more slowly through the explosive material than a shock wave of a high explosive. Under normal conditions, low explosives undergo deflagration at rates that vary from a few centimetres per second to approximately 0.4 km/s. It is possible for them to deflagrate very quickly, producing an effect similar to a detonation. This can happen under higher pressure (such as when gunpowder deflagrates inside the confined space of a bullet casing, accelerating the bullet to well beyond the speed of sound) or temperature.

A low explosive is usually a mixture of a combustible substance and an oxidant that decomposes rapidly (deflagration); however, they burn more slowly than a high explosive, which has an extremely fast burn rate.

Low explosives are normally employed as propellants. Included in this group are petroleum products such as propane and gasoline, gunpowder (including smokeless powder), and light pyrotechnics, such as flares and fireworks, but can replace high explosives in certain applications, including in gas pressure blasting.

High
High explosives (HE, or high-order explosives) are explosive materials that detonate, meaning that the explosive shock front passes through the material at a supersonic speed. High explosives detonate with explosive velocity of about 3 - 9 km/s. For instance, TNT has a detonation (burn) rate of approximately 6.9 km/s (22,600 feet per second), detonating cord of 6.7 km/s (22,000 feet per second), and C-4 about 8.0 km/s (26,000 feet per second). They are normally employed in mining, demolition, and military applications. The term high explosive is in contrast with the term low explosive, which explodes (deflagrates) at a lower rate.

High explosives can be divided into two explosives classes differentiated by sensitivity: primary explosive and secondary explosive. Although tertiary explosives (such as ANFO at 3,200 m/s) can technically meet the explosive velocity definition, they are not considered high explosives in regulatory contexts.

Countless high-explosive compounds are chemically possible, but commercially and militarily important ones have included NG, TNT, TNP, TNX, RDX, HMX, PETN, TATP, TATB, and HNS.

By physical form
Explosives are often characterized by the physical form that the explosives are produced or used in. These use forms are commonly categorized as:
 * Pressings
 * Castings
 * Plastic or polymer bonded
 * Plastic explosives, a.k.a. putties
 * Rubberized
 * Extrudable
 * Binary
 * Blasting agents
 * Slurries and gels
 * Dynamites

Shipping label classifications
Shipping labels and tags may include both United Nations and national markings.

United Nations markings include numbered Hazard Class and Division (HC/D) codes and alphabetic Compatibility Group codes. Though the two are related, they are separate and distinct. Any Compatibility Group designator can be assigned to any Hazard Class and Division. An example of this hybrid marking would be a consumer firework, which is labeled as 1.4G or 1.4S.

Examples of national markings would include United States Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) codes.

United Nations (UN) GHS Hazard Class and Division

The UN GHS Hazard Class and Division (HC/D) is a numeric designator within a hazard class indicating the character, predominance of associated hazards, and potential for causing personnel casualties and property damage. It is an internationally accepted system that communicates using the minimum amount of markings the primary hazard associated with a substance.

Listed below are the Divisions for Class 1 (Explosives):
 * 1.1 Mass Detonation Hazard. With HC/D 1.1, it is expected that if one item in a container or pallet inadvertently detonates, the explosion will sympathetically detonate the surrounding items. The explosion could propagate to all or the majority of the items stored together, causing a mass detonation. There will also be fragments from the item's casing and/or structures in the blast area.
 * 1.2 Non-mass explosion, fragment-producing. HC/D 1.2 is further divided into three subdivisions, HC/D 1.2.1, 1.2.2 and 1.2.3, to account for the magnitude of the effects of an explosion.
 * 1.3 Mass fire, minor blast or fragment hazard. Propellants and many pyrotechnic items fall into this category. If one item in a package or stack initiates, it will usually propagate to the other items, creating a mass fire.
 * 1.4 Moderate fire, no blast or fragment. HC/D 1.4 items are listed in the table as explosives with no significant hazard. Most small arms ammunition (including loaded weapons) and some pyrotechnic items fall into this category. If the energetic material in these items inadvertently initiates, most of the energy and fragments will be contained within the storage structure or the item containers themselves.
 * 1.5 mass detonation hazard, very insensitive.
 * 1.6 detonation hazard without mass detonation hazard, extremely insensitive.

To see an entire UNO Table, browse Paragraphs 3–8 and 3–9 of NAVSEA OP 5, Vol. 1, Chapter 3.

Class 1 Compatibility Group
Compatibility Group codes are used to indicate storage compatibility for HC/D Class 1 (explosive) materials. Letters are used to designate 13 compatibility groups as follows.
 * A: Primary explosive substance (1.1A).
 * B: An article containing a primary explosive substance and not containing two or more effective protective features. Some articles, such as detonator assemblies for blasting and primers, cap-type, are included. (1.1B, 1.2B, 1.4B).
 * C: Propellant explosive substance or other deflagrating explosive substance or article containing such explosive substance (1.1C, 1.2C, 1.3C, 1.4C). These are bulk propellants, propelling charges, and devices containing propellants with or without means of ignition. Examples include single-based propellant, double-based propellant, triple-based propellant, and composite propellants, solid propellant rocket motors and ammunition with inert projectiles.
 * D: Secondary detonating explosive substance or black powder or article containing a secondary detonating explosive substance, in each case without means of initiation and without a propelling charge, or article containing a primary explosive substance and containing two or more effective protective features. (1.1D, 1.2D, 1.4D, 1.5D).
 * E: Article containing a secondary detonating explosive substance without means of initiation, with a propelling charge (other than one containing flammable liquid, gel or hypergolic liquid) (1.1E, 1.2E, 1.4E).
 * F containing a secondary detonating explosive substance with its means of initiation, with a propelling charge (other than one containing flammable liquid, gel or hypergolic liquid) or without a propelling charge (1.1F, 1.2F, 1.3F, 1.4F).
 * G: Pyrotechnic substance or article containing a pyrotechnic substance, or article containing both an explosive substance and an illuminating, incendiary, tear-producing or smoke-producing substance (other than a water-activated article or one containing white phosphorus, phosphide or flammable liquid or gel or hypergolic liquid) (1.1G, 1.2G, 1.3G, 1.4G). Examples include Flares, signals, incendiary or illuminating ammunition and other smoke and tear producing devices.
 * H: Article containing both an explosive substance and white phosphorus (1.2H, 1.3H). These articles will spontaneously combust when exposed to the atmosphere.
 * J: Article containing both an explosive substance and flammable liquid or gel (1.1J, 1.2J, 1.3J). This excludes liquids or gels which are spontaneously flammable when exposed to water or the atmosphere, which belong in group H. Examples include liquid or gel filled incendiary ammunition, fuel-air explosive (FAE) devices, and flammable liquid fueled missiles.
 * K: Article containing both an explosive substance and a toxic chemical agent (1.2K, 1.3K)
 * L Explosive substance or article containing an explosive substance and presenting a special risk (e.g., due to water-activation or presence of hypergolic liquids, phosphides, or pyrophoric substances) needing isolation of each type (1.1L, 1.2L, 1.3L). Damaged or suspect ammunition of any group belongs in this group.
 * N: Articles containing only extremely insensitive detonating substances (1.6N).
 * S: Substance or article so packed or designed that any hazardous effects arising from accidental functioning are limited to the extent that they do not significantly hinder or prohibit fire fighting or other emergency response efforts in the immediate vicinity of the package (1.4S).

Regulation
The legality of possessing or using explosives varies by jurisdiction. Various countries around the world have enacted explosives law and require licenses to manufacture, distribute, store, use, possess explosives or ingredients.

Netherlands
In the Netherlands, the civil and commercial use of explosives is covered under the Wet explosieven voor civiel gebruik (explosives for civil use Act), in accordance with EU directive nr. 93/15/EEG (Dutch). The illegal use of explosives is covered under the Wet Wapens en Munitie (Weapons and Munition Act) (Dutch).

United Kingdom
The new Explosives Regulations 2014 (ER 2014) came into force on 1 October 2014 and defines "explosive" as:

"'a) any explosive article or explosive substance which would —

(i) if packaged for transport, be classified in accordance with the United Nations Recommendations as falling within Class 1; or

(ii) be classified in accordance with the United Nations Recommendations as —

(aa) being unduly sensitive or so reactive as to be subject to spontaneous reaction and accordingly too dangerous to transport, and

(bb) falling within Class 1; or

(b) a desensitised explosive,

but it does not include an explosive substance produced as part of a manufacturing process which thereafter reprocesses it in order to produce a substance or preparation which is not an explosive substance'"

"'Anyone who wishes to acquire and or keep relevant explosives needs to contact their local police explosives liaison officer. All explosives are relevant explosives apart from those listed under Schedule 2 of Explosives Regulations 2014.'"

United States
During World War I, numerous laws were created to regulate war related industries and increase security within the United States. In 1917, the 65th United States Congress created many laws, including the Espionage Act of 1917 and Explosives Act of 1917.

The Explosives Act of 1917 (session 1, chapter 83, ) was signed on 6 October 1917 and went into effect on 16 November 1917. The legal summary is "An Act to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, storage, use, and possession in time of war of explosives, providing regulations for the safe manufacture, distribution, storage, use, and possession of the same, and for other purposes". This was the first federal regulation of licensing explosives purchases. The act was deactivated after World War I ended.

After the United States entered World War II, the Explosives Act of 1917 was reactivated. In 1947, the act was deactivated by President Truman.

The Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 transferred many explosives regulations to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) of the Department of Treasury. The bill became effective in 1971.

Currently, regulations are governed by Title 18 of the United States Code and Title 27 of the Code of Federal Regulations:
 * "Importation, Manufacture, Distribution and Storage of Explosive Materials" (18 U.S.C. Chapter 40).
 * "Commerce in Explosives" (27 C.F.R. Chapter II, Part 555).

Many states restrict the possession, sale, and use of explosives.
 * Alabama Code Title 8 Chapter 17 Article 9
 * Alaska State Code Chapter 11.61.240 & 11.61.250
 * Arizona State Code Title 13 Chapter 31 Articles 01 through 19
 * Arkansas State Code Title 5 Chapter 73 Article 108
 * California Penal Code Title 2 Division 5
 * Colorado (Colorado statutes are copyrighted and require purchase before reading.)
 * Connecticut Statutes Volume 9 Title 29 Chapters 343–355
 * Delaware Code Title 16 Part VI Chapters 70 & 71
 * Florida Statutes Title XXXIII Chapter 552
 * Georgia Code Title 16 Chapter 7 Articles 64–97 (Repealed by Ga. L. 1996)
 * Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 12 Subtitle 8 Part 1 Chapter 58 AND Hawaii Revised Statutes
 * Illinois Explosives Act 225 ILCS 210
 * Michigan Penal Code Chapter XXXIII Section 750.200 – 750.212a
 * Minnesota
 * Mississippi Code Title 45 Chapter 13 Article 3 Section 101–109
 * New York: Health and safety regulations restrict the quantity of black powder a person may store and transport.
 * Wisconsin Chapter 941 Subchapter 4-31

Acetylides

 * CUA, DCA, AGA

Fulminates

 * HCNO, AUF, HGF, PTF, KF, AGF

Nitro

 * MonoNitro: NGA, NE, NM, NP, NS, NU
 * DiNitro: DDNP, DNB, DNEU, DNN, DNP, DNPA, DNPH, DNR, DNPD, DNPA, DNC, DPS, DPA, EDNP, KDNBF, BEAF, DADNE
 * TriNitro: RDX, DATB, TATB, PBS, PBP, TNAL, TNAS, TNAS, TNB, TNBA, SA, MC, TNEF, TNOC, TNOF, TNP, TNT, TNN, TNPG, TNR, BTNEN, BTNEC, API, TNS
 * TetraNitro: Tetryl, HMX
 * HexaNitro: HNS, HNIW
 * HeptaNitro: HNC
 * OctaNitro: ONC

Nitrates

 * Mononitrates: AN, BAN, CAN, MAN, NAN, UN
 * Dinitrates: DEGDN, EDDN, EDNA, EGDN, HDN, TEGDN, TAOM
 * Trinitrates: BTTN, TMOTN, NG
 * Tetranitrates: ETN, PETN, TNOC
 * Pentanitrates: XPN
 * Hexanitrates: CHN, MHN

Amines

 * Tertiary Amines: NTBR, NTCL, NTI, NTS, SEN, AGN
 * Diamines: DSDN
 * Azides: CNA, CYA, CLA, CUA, EA, FA, HA, PBA, AGA, NAA, RBA, SEA, SIA, TEA, TAM, TIA
 * Tetramines: TZE, TZO, AA
 * Pentamines: PZ
 * Octamines: OAC, ATA

Peroxides

 * AP (TATP), CHP, DAP, DBP, DEP, HMTD, MEKP, TBHP, TMDD

Oxides

 * XOTF, XDIO, XTRO, XTEO

Unsorted

 * Alkali metal Ozonides
 * Ammonium chlorate
 * Ammonium perchlorate
 * Ammonium permaganate
 * Azidotetrazolates
 * Azoclathrates
 * Benzvalene
 * Chlorine oxides
 * DMAPP
 * Fluorine perchlorate
 * Fulminating gold
 * Fulminating silver (several substances)
 * Hexafluoroantimonate
 * Hexafluoroarsenate
 * Hypofluorous acid
 * Manganese heptoxide
 * Mercury nitride
 * Nitronium perchlorate
 * Nitrotetrazolate-N-Oxides
 * Peroxy acids
 * Peroxymonosulfuric acid
 * Tetramine copper complexes
 * Tetrasulfur tetranitride
 * Tetrasulfur tetranitride

Mixtures

 * Aluminum Orphorite, Amatex, Amatol, Ammonal, Armstrong's mixture, ANFO, ANNMAL, Astrolite
 * Baranol, Baratol, Ballistite, Butyl tetryl
 * Carbonite, Composition A, Composition B, Composition C, Composition 1, Composition 2, Composition 3, Composition 4, Composition 5, Composition H6, Cordtex, Cyclotol
 * Danubit, Detasheet, Detonating cord, Dualin, Dunnite, Dynamite
 * Ecrasite, Ednatol
 * Flash powder
 * Gelignite, Gunpowder
 * Hexanite, Hydromite 600
 * Kinetite
 * Minol
 * Octol, Oxyliquit
 * Panclastite, Pentolite, Picratol, PNNM, Pyrotol
 * Schneiderite, Semtex, Shellite
 * Tannerit simply, Tannerite, Titadine, Tovex, Torpex, Tritonal

Elements and isotopes

 * Alkali metals
 * Explosive antimony
 * Plutonium-239
 * Uranium-235

U.S. Government

 * Explosives and Demolitions FM 5–250; U.S. Department of the Army; 274 pp.; 1992.
 * Military Explosives TM 9–1300–214; U.S. Department of the Army; 355 pp.; 1984.
 * Explosives and Blasting Procedures Manual; U.S. Department of Interior; 128 pp.; 1982.
 * Safety and Performance Tests for Qualification of Explosives; Commander, Naval Ordnance Systems Command; NAVORD OD 44811. Washington, DC: GPO, 1972.
 * Weapons Systems Fundamentals; Commander, Naval Ordnance Systems Command. NAVORD OP 3000, vol. 2, 1st rev. Washington, DC: GPO, 1971.
 * Elements of Armament Engineering – Part One; Army Research Office. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Materiel Command, 1964.
 * Hazardous Materials Transportation Plaecards; USDOT.

Institute of Makers of Explosives

 * Safety in the Handling and Use of Explosives SLP 17; Institute of Makers of Explosives; 66 pp.; 1932 / 1935 / 1940.
 * History of the Explosives Industry in America; Institute of Makers of Explosives; 37 pp.; 1927.
 * Clearing Land of Stumps; Institute of Makers of Explosives; 92 pp.; 1917.
 * The Use of Explosives for Agricultural and Other Purposes; Institute of Makers of Explosives; 190 pp.; 1917.
 * The Use of Explosives in making Ditches; Institute of Makers of Explosives; 80 pp.; 1917.

Other historical

 * Farmers' Hand Book of Explosives; duPont; 113 pp.; 1920.
 * A Short Account of Explosives; Arthur Marshall; 119 pp.; 1917.
 * Historical Papers on Modern Explosives; George MacDonald; 216 pp.; 1912.
 * The Rise and Progress of the British Explosives Industry; International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 450 pp.; 1909.
 * Explosives and their Power; M. Berthelot; 592 pp.; 1892.

title: Explosive


text:
Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon, Ahna Capri, Bob Wall, Shih Kien, and Jim Kelly. Enter the Dragon was Bruce Lee's final completed film appearance before his death on 20 July 1973 at the age of 32. An American-Hong Kong co-production, the film was premiered in Los Angeles on 19 August 1973, one month after Lee's death.

Enter the Dragon was estimated to have grossed over US$400 million worldwide (equivalent to an estimated US$2 billion adjusted for inflation ) against a budget of $850,000. It is the most successful martial arts film ever and is widely regarded as one of the greatest martial arts films of all time. In 2004, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Among the first films to combine martial arts action with spy film elements and the emerging blaxploitation genre, its success led to a series of similar productions combining the martial arts and blaxploitation genres. The film's themes have generated scholarly debate about the changes taking place within post-colonial Asian societies following the end of World War II.

Enter the Dragon is also considered one of the most influential action films of all time, with its success contributing to mainstream worldwide interest in the martial arts as well as inspiring numerous fictional works, including action films, television shows, action games, comic books, manga and anime.

Plot
Lee, a martial artist and instructor from Hong Kong, is approached by Braithwaite, a British intelligence agent investigating a suspected crime lord named Han. Lee is persuaded to attend a high-profile martial arts tournament on Han's private island to gather evidence that will prove Han's involvement in drug trafficking and prostitution. Shortly before his departure, Lee also learns that O'Hara, the man responsible for his sister's death, is working as Han's bodyguard on the island. Also fighting in the competition are Roper, an indebted gambling addict, and fellow Vietnam War veteran Williams.

At the end of the first day, Han gives strict orders to the competitors not to leave their rooms. Lee makes contact with covert operative Mei-ling and sneaks into Han's underground compound, looking for evidence. He is discovered by several guards, but manages to escape. The next morning, Han orders his giant enforcer Bolo to kill the guards in public for failing in their duties. After the execution, the competition resumes with Lee facing O'Hara. During the fight, Han warns O'Hara to step down as Lee beats him in humiliating fashion. Lee then kills O'Hara after he attacks Lee with a pair of broken bottles, thus avenging his sister's death. Embarrassed, Han abruptly ends the day's competition after stating that O'Hara's treachery has disgraced them. Han confronts Williams, who had also left his room the previous night to exercise.

Han believes Williams to have knowledge of the intruder and after a destructive brawl, beats Williams to death with his iron prosthetic hand. Han then reveals his drug operation to Roper, hoping that he will join his organisation. Han also implicitly threatens to imprison Roper, along with all the other martial artists who joined Han's tournaments in the past, if Roper will not join his operation. Despite being initially intrigued, Roper reluctantly accepts after learning of Williams's fate. Lee sneaks out again that night and manages to send a message to Braithwaite, but he is captured after a prolonged battle with the guards. The next morning, Han arranges for Roper to fight Lee, but Roper refuses. As a punishment, Roper has to fight Bolo instead, whom he manages to overpower and beat after a gruelling battle.

Enraged, Han commands his remaining men to kill Lee and Roper. Facing insurmountable odds, they are soon aided by the island's prisoners and the other invited martial artists, who had been freed by Mei-ling. Han escapes and is pursued by Lee, who finally corners him in his museum. After a brutal fight, Han runs away into a hidden mirror room. The mirrors initially give Han an advantage, but Lee smashes all the room's mirrors to reveal Han's location and eventually kills him. Lee returns outside to the main battle, which is now over. Bruised and bloodied, Lee and Roper exchange a weary thumbs-up as the military finally arrives to take control of the island.

Cast

 * Bruce Lee as Lee
 * John Saxon as Roper
 * Jim Kelly as Williams
 * Ahna Capri as Tania, Han's secretary
 * Shih Kien as Han (voice dubbed by Keye Luke)
 * Bob Wall as O'Hara, Han's bodyguard
 * Angela Mao Ying as Su-lin, Lee's sister
 * Betty Chung as Mei-ling, an undercover operative
 * Geoffrey Weeks as Braithwaite, a British Intelligence agent
 * Yang Sze as Bolo, Han's enforcer
 * Peter Archer as Parsons, an arrogant New Zealand martial artist

 * Sammo Hung as Lee's opponent (as Sammo Hung Kam-po)
 * Jackie Chan (uncredited) as a minor henchman
 * Yuen Wah (uncredited) as a tournament fighter
 * Roy Chiao (uncredited) as the Shaolin abbot
 * Pat E. Johnson (uncredited) as a thug on golf course

Production
Due to the success of his earlier films, Warner Bros. began helping Bruce Lee with the film in 1972. They brought in producers Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller. The film was produced on a tight production budget of $850,000. Fighting sequences were staged by Bruce Lee.

Writing
The screenplay title was originally named Blood and Steel. The story features heroic protagonists who are Asian, white, and Black, as the producers wanted a film that would appeal to the widest possible international audience. The scene in which Lee states that his style is "Fighting Without Fighting" is based upon a famous anecdote involving the 16th century samurai Tsukahara Bokuden.

Casting
Rod Taylor was first choice for playing the down-on-his-luck martial artist Roper. Director Robert Clouse had already worked with Taylor in the 1970 film Darker than Amber. However, Taylor was dropped after Bruce Lee deemed him to be too tall for the role. John Saxon, who was a black belt in Judo and Shotokan Karate (he studied under grandmaster Hidetaka Nishiyama for three years), became the preferred choice. During contractual negotiations, Saxon's agent told the film's producers that if they wanted him they would have to change the plot so that the character of Williams is killed instead of Roper. They agreed and the script was changed. In a six decade career, the character would become one of Saxon's best known roles.

Rockne Tarkington was originally cast in the role of Williams. However, he unexpectedly dropped out days before the production was about to begin in Hong Kong. Producer Fred Weintraub knew that karate world champion Jim Kelly had a training dojo in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, so he hastily arranged a meeting. Weintraub was immediately impressed, and Kelly was cast in the film. The success of Kelly's appearance launched his career as a star: after Enter the Dragon, he signed a three-film deal with Warner Bros and went on to make several martial arts-themed blaxploitation films in the 1970s.

Jackie Chan has uncredited roles as various guards during the fights with Lee. However, Yuen Wah was Lee's main stunt double for the film, responsible for the gymnastics stunts such as the cartwheels and jumping back flip in the opening fight.

Sammo Hung also has an uncredited role in the opening fight scene against Lee at the start of the film.

A rumour surrounding the making of Enter The Dragon claims that actor Bob Wall did not like Bruce Lee and that their fight scenes were not choreographed. However, Wall has denied this, stating he and Lee were good friends.

Filming
The film was shot on location in Hong Kong. In keeping with local film-making practices, scenes were filmed without sound: dialogue and sound effects were added or dubbed in during post-production. Bruce Lee, after he had been goaded or challenged, fought several real fights with the film's extras and some set intruders during filming. The scenes on Han's Island were filmed at a residence known as Palm Villa near the coastal town of Stanley. The villa is now demolished and the area heavily redeveloped around Tai Tam Bay where the martial artists were filmed coming ashore.

Soundtrack
Argentinian musician Lalo Schifrin composed the film's musical score. While Schifrin was widely known at the time for his jazz scores, he also incorporated funk and traditional film score elements into the film's soundtrack. He composed the score by sampling sounds from China, Korea, and Japan. The soundtrack has sold over 500,000 copies, earning a gold record.

Marketing
Enter the Dragon was heavily advertised in the United States before its release. The budget for advertising was over US$1 million. It was unlike any promotional campaign that had been seen before, and was extremely comprehensive. To advertise the film, the studio offered free Karate classes, produced thousands of illustrated flip books, comic books, posters, photographs, and organised dozens of news releases, interviews, and public appearances for the stars. Esquire, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek all wrote stories on the film.

Box office
Enter the Dragon was one of the most successful films of 1973. Upon release in Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$3,307,536, which was huge business for the time, but less than Lee's previous 1972 films Fist of Fury and The Way of the Dragon.

In North America, the film was receiving offers of US$500,000 from American distributors by April 1973 for the distribution rights, several months before release. Upon its limited release in August 1973 in four theatres in New York, the film entered the weekly box office charts at number 17 with a gross of US$140,010 in 3 days. Upon its expansion the following week, it topped the charts for two weeks. Over the next four weeks, it remained in the top 10 while competing with other kung fu films, including Lady Kung Fu, The Shanghai Killers and Deadly China Doll which held the top spot for one week each.

In October, Enter the Dragon regained the top spot in its eighth week. It sold 14.1 million tickets and grossed US$25,000,000 from its initial US release, making it the year's fourth highest-grossing film in the market. It was repeatedly re-released throughout the 1970s, with each re-release entering the top five in the box office charts. The film's US gross had increased to US$100 million by 1982, and more than US$120 million (equivalent to $ million adjusted for inflation) by 1998.

In Europe, the film initially monopolised several London West End cinemas for five weeks, before becoming a sellout success across Britain and the rest of Europe. In Spain, it was the seventh top-grossing film of 1973, selling 2,462,489 tickets. In France, it was one of the top five highest-grossing films of 1974 (above two other Lee films, The Way of the Dragon at number 8 and Fist of Fury at number 12), with 4,444,582 ticket sales. In Germany, it was one of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 1974, with 1.7 million ticket sales. In Greece, the film earned US$1,000,000 in its first year of release.

In Japan, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1974 with distributor rental earnings of ¥1,642,000,000. In South Korea, the film sold 229,681 tickets in the capital city of Seoul. In India, the movie was released in 1975 and opened to full houses; in one Bombay theatre, New Excelsior, it had a packed 32-week run. The film was also a success in Iran, where there was a theatre which played it daily up until the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

Against a tight budget of $850,000, the film grossed US$100,000,000 upon its initial 1973 worldwide release, making it one of the world's highest-grossing films of all time up until then. The film went on to have multiple re-releases around the world over the next several decades, significantly increasing its worldwide gross. The film went on to gross over US$220 million internationally by 1981, making it the highest-grossing martial arts film of all time. It was reportedly still among the top 50 all-time highest-grossing films in 1990.

By 1998, it had grossed more than US$300 million worldwide. , it has grossed an estimated total of over US$400 million worldwide, having earned more than 400 times its original budget. The film's cost-to-profit ratio makes it one of the most commercially successful and profitable films of all time. Adjusted for inflation, the film's worldwide gross is estimated to be the equivalent of over US$2 billion.

Critical reception
Upon release, the film initially received mixed reviews from several critics, including a favourable review from Variety magazine. The film eventually went on to be well-received by most critics, and it is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1973. Critics have referred to Enter the Dragon as "a low-rent James Bond thriller", a "remake of Dr. No" with elements of Fu Manchu. J.C. Maçek III of PopMatters wrote, "Of course the real showcase here is the obvious star here, Bruce Lee, whose performance as an actor and a fighter are the most enhanced by the perfect sound and video transfer. While Kelly was a famous martial artist and a surprisingly good actor and Saxon was a famous actor and a surprisingly good martial artist, Lee proves to be a master of both fields."

Many acclaimed newspapers and magazines reviewed the film. Variety described it as "rich in the atmosphere", the music score as "a strong asset" and the photography as "interesting". The New York Times gave the film a rave review: "The picture is expertly made and well-meshed; it moves like lightning and brims with color. It is also the most savagely murderous and numbing hand-hacker (not a gun in it) you will ever see anywhere."

The film holds an 88% approval rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 78 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Badass to the max, Enter the Dragon is the ultimate kung-fu movie and fitting (if untimely) Bruce Lee swan song." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Enter the Dragon was selected as the best martial arts film of all time, in a 2013 poll of The Guardian and The Observer critics. The film also ranks No. 474 on Empire magazine's 2008 list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.

Home video
Enter the Dragon has remained one of the most popular martial arts films since its premiere and has been released numerous times worldwide on multiple home video formats. For almost three decades, many theatrical and home video versions were censored for violence, especially in the West. In the UK alone, at least four different versions have been released. Since 2001, the film has been released uncut in the UK and most other territories. Most DVDs and Blu-rays come with a wide range of extra features in the form of documentaries, interviews, etc. In 2013, a second, remastered HD transfer appeared on Blu-ray, billed as the "40th Anniversary Edition".

In 2020, new 2K digital restorations of the theatrical cut and special edition were included as part of the Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits box set by The Criterion Collection (under licensed from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment through the physical home media joint venture in US and Canada named Studio Distribution Services, LLC. and Fortune Star Media Limited), which featured all of Lee's films, as well as Game of Death II.

Legacy
The film has been parodied and referenced in places such as the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again, the satirical publication The Onion, the Japanese game-show Takeshi's Castle, and the 1977 John Landis comedy anthology film The Kentucky Fried Movie (in its lengthy "A Fistful of Yen" sequence, basically a comedic, note for note remake of Dragon) and also in the film Balls of Fury. It was also parodied on television in That '70s Show during the episode "Jackie Moves On" with regular character Fez taking on the Bruce Lee role. Several clips from the film are comically used during the theatre scene in The Last Dragon. Lee's martial arts films were broadly lampooned in the recurring Almost Live! sketch Mind Your Manners with Billy Quan. Ram Gopal Varma directed the martial-arts film titled Ladki: Dragon Girl, heavily inspired by the film.

In August 2007, the now-defunct Warner Independent Pictures announced that television producer Kurt Sutter would be remaking the film as a noir-style thriller entitled Awaken the Dragon with Korean singer-actor Rain starring. It was announced in September 2014 that Spike Lee would work on the remake. In March 2015, Brett Ratner revealed that he wanted to make the remake. In July 2018, David Leitch was in early talks to direct the remake. As of 2024, there are no further updates on this project.

Cultural impact
Enter the Dragon has been cited as one of the most influential action films of all time. Sascha Matuszak of Vice called it the most influential kung fu film and said it "is referenced in all manner of media, the plot line and characters continue to influence storytellers today, and the impact was particularly felt in the revolutionizing way the film portrayed African-Americans, Asians and traditional martial arts." Joel Stice of Uproxx called it "arguably the most influential Kung Fu movie of all time." Kuan-Hsing Chen and Beng Huat Chua cited its fight scenes as influential as well as its "hybrid form and its mode of address" which pitches "an elemental story of good against evil in such a spectacle-saturated way". Hollywood filmmaker Quentin Tarantino cited Enter the Dragon as a formative influence on his career.

According to Scott Mendelson of Forbes, Enter the Dragon contains spy film elements similar to the James Bond franchise. Enter the Dragon was the most successful action-spy film to not be part of the James Bond franchise; Enter the Dragon had an initial global box office comparable to the James Bond films of that era, and a lifetime gross surpassing every James Bond film up until GoldenEye (1995). Mendelson argues that, had Lee lived after Enter the Dragon was released, the film had the potential to launch an action-spy film franchise starring Lee that could have rivalled the success of the James Bond franchise.

The film had an impact on mixed martial arts (MMA). In the opening fight sequence, where Lee fights Sammo Hung, Lee demonstrated elements of what would later become known as MMA. Both fighters wore what would later become common mixed martial arts clothing items, including kempo gloves and small shorts, and the fight ends with Lee utilising an armbar (then used in judo and jiu-jitsu) to submit Hung. According to UFC Hall of Fame fighter Urijah Faber, "that was the moment" that MMA was born.

The Dragon Ball manga and anime franchise, debuted in 1984, was inspired by Enter the Dragon, which Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama was a fan of. The title Dragon Ball was also inspired by Enter the Dragon, and the piercing eyes of Goku's Super Saiyan transformation was based on Bruce Lee's paralysing glare.

Enter the Dragon inspired early beat 'em up brawler games. It was cited by game designer Yoshihisa Kishimoto as a key inspiration behind Technōs Japan's brawler Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (1986), released as Renegade in the West. Its spiritual successor Double Dragon (1987) also drew inspiration from Enter the Dragon, with the game's title being a homage to the film. Double Dragon also features two enemies named Roper and Williams, a reference to the two characters Roper and Williams from Enter the Dragon. The sequel Double Dragon II: The Revenge (1988) includes opponents named Bolo and Oharra.

Enter the Dragon was the foundation for fighting games. The film's tournament plot inspired numerous fighting games, such as the Tekken series, for example. The Street Fighter video game franchise, debuted in 1987, was inspired by Enter the Dragon, with the gameplay centered around an international fighting tournament, and each character having a unique combination of ethnicity, nationality and fighting style. Street Fighter went on to set the template for all fighting games that followed. The little-known 1985 Nintendo arcade game Arm Wrestling contains voice leftovers from the film, as well as their original counterparts. The popular fighting game Mortal Kombat borrows multiple plot elements from Enter the Dragon, as does its movie adaptation.

title: Enter the Dragon