Congreve Rockets
1825
In the 19th century, William Congreve's innovations with rockets earned him the honorific of "the father of modern rocketry." Congreve's rockets were used as weapons. He was the first to use full-strength gunpowder to move his rockets and they traveled up to 3000 yards, much farther than any before. Previous rocket-type explosives were encased in wood, but Congreve's were encased in iron. Francis Scott Key refers to Congreve's projectiles in The Star Spangled Banner with the line:

...the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air...

Illustration from:
A System of Pyrotechny, Comprehending the Theory and Practice, with Application of Chemistry; Designed for the Exhibition and for War by James Cutbush. Published in Philadelphia in 1825 by C. W. Cutbush.