By David A. Graham
If the 19th century was the age of the rifle, the 20th century was certainly the age of the bomb. Explosives, once a small part of any army's arsenal, advanced leaps and bounds between 1900 and 2000, fueling the atomic bomb and becoming the weapon of choice for both massive militaries and impoverished insurgencies. That dual appeal is a hallmark of bombing: ever since the establishment discovered explosives, rebels and other opponents have scrambled to make them their own. One decade into the 21st century and the age of terror, there's no sign of decline for bombs, which remain crucial in warfare. Here are some major moments in the history of the bomb, from airplanes to Al Qaeda.
