/snip/
NOTE: The Alfred P. Murrah attack *was* a detonation, i.e. *did*
produce a shock wave, because the attacker arranged to make it so.
I can explain how, but maybe not on a public list.
The distinction
between primary high explosive (always detonates) and secondary high
explosive (detonates only when properly initiated) is relatively new.
This is what made Alfred Nobel rich and famous. People say he invented
dynamite, which made nitroglycerin less sensitive, which I guess is true,
but the other half of the story is the invention of the *blasting cap*
which makes the dynamite detonate /when you want it to/. Without that,
there is no point in inventing dynamite. The key idea is to have huge
quantities of secondary high explosive, which is relatively safe to
handle, plus a tiny amount of primary high explosive, i.e. the blasting
cap, which is relatively easy to keep secure until you're 100% sure
everything else is ready. In other words, the fundamental breakthrough
is the invention of *initiation*.
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The varieties of anfo with 7% #2 fuel oil ( or diesel oil, its refined form) or nitromethane "Racing Fuel" with or without aluminum powder, iron powder, charcoal may still not detonate with a regular blasting cap so one or even two sticks of dynamite (20cents each at 1965 prices apparently) were advocated in a Wildlife conservation paper (!!) intended to improve wildlife habitat
Pothole blasting for wildlife / by Harold A. Mathiak.
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Pothole blasting for wildlife / by Harold A. Mathiak.
Pothole blasting for wildlife / by Harold A. Mathiak.
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See page 11, later seized on by U Wisconsin-Madison students for bomb-making.Note the dry hole, with dirt cover suggested there.
Wiki provides more than enough background:
ANFO
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ANFO
ANFO (or AN/FO, for ammonium nitrate/fuel oil) is a widely used bulk industrial explosive. Its name is commonly ...
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