China: Cannon and cannonballs at an armory in Qing China (1870)

First used in China during the Song Dynasty (960Ð1279 ), cannon were among the earliest forms of gunpowder artillery, and over time replaced siege enginesÑamong other forms of aging weaponryÑon the battlefield. The first hand cannon appeared during the 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut between the Mamluks and Mongols in the Middle East. The first cannon in Europe were probably used in Iberia, during the Reconquista, in the 13th century, and English cannon were first deployed in the Hundred Years' War, at the Battle of CrŽcy, in 1346. (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)