Bomb Attempt On The Chancellor Of Germany Today With World's Oldest Bomb

Technically there is no world's oldest bomb in existence since, of course, it's exploded. However, if you were hanging out in Berlin at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office today, you were privy to the info first that there very well could have been an explosion of the malicious type in your general area. What was so strange about this bomb, other than it was delivered on a day that the Chancellor was in Belgium, not her office in Berlin, that day? The fact that it contained an explosive device employing black powder, a material science argues may be the first to ever be used as an explosive – now generally only used for fireworks.

Black powder is made of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), charcoal, and sulfur, and can readily be made useless by simply pouring water on it. Similar packages were delivered to (and exploded in) two embassies in Athens on today, and several other explosive packages were intercepted by Greece police, while on Monday authorities intercepted several other packages addressed to other embassies as well as to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Most or all of these packages contained similar explosive components.

Is it a time traveling Bomberman? Is it the sort of situation where Wild West Doc sends a package Western Union to the future? Who knows!?

[Via Der Spiegel Online]