Today In Hisory - Antioch and The First Hand Thrown Explosives

The hand thrown explosive, as a device of war, may have first been seen, by Europeans, on this day, June 3rd some 914 years ago. Today was the day, way back in 1098 AD, that the knights of the First Crusade ended the siege of Antioch and effected the seizure of said Turkish city.

While it has been a somewhat of a military secret, kept under wraps for most all of those years, we do have definitive proof that the first hand grenade was produced in Antioch and then became the spoils of war when a highly trained covert team of English commandos 
knights captured said city during the first crusade. It is unknown, to this day, why the Turks never attempted to use the device against their crusading assailants but it has been hypothesized that the Muslims who were in control of the city were unaware of its existence. It is believed to have been created by a Christian monk, in hiding, after the Muslims had taken over Turkey. This is, at least in part, evidenced by the official name of the device: The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

It was said to have been the most deadly lethal device of its era and probably would have been such at any later time in the age of man. It is believed by modern physicists that it would likely have become a weapon that could have ushered in the nuclear age, or even possibly that of cold fusion, hundreds of years before their time but you can rest assured that its unequaled destructive power will never be unleashed in modern times. Its secret design was lost soon after the device was seized and then used by the English.

Later, on the very same day that they had helped capture Antioch and had seized the Holy Hand Grenade, the small team of English commandos knights stealthily and rapidly continued on their quest to seek the Holy Grail. It was that very evening, while crossing harsh terrain, that they encountered what is said to have been one of the most terrible and blood thirsty creatures to have ever roamed the face of the earth - the Rabbit of Caerbannog. Amazingly enough, we have a video record (method of recording lost to the ages) of their encounter detailing the first and only use of the holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. Be advised, viewing this video is not for the weak of heart nor for those with weak stomachs as it contains graphic beastly and abhorrent scenes of violence.





Me thinks us lucky that the power of this device was never brought forth to the modern ages and also fortunate too that the little white fur-ball was defeated as well.

If you find this subject interesting, you may want to view the complete historical archive of the very same, small but courageous, band of English commandos knights. It is available in DVD format titled under the code name of their quest: Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

All the best,
Glenn B