History Of All Catapults...Ever. (Part 1)

          Ok, so the first thing to know about catapults is: What is it? The definition of a catapult (according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary) is a military device used to launch missiles. Generally, it is a mechanism that is designed to store energy and then quickly release it in the form of potential energy to fire a projectile. Drawings of catapults existed in China around 3rd and 4th century BC. They were designed a lot like a crossbow and were about 8 feet tall. The first catapult, however, was invented around 400 BC in Syracuse, Greece. It was called the Gastraphete, was pointed at the ground, and it was very difficult to set and fire. The Greeks were immediately impressed with its ability to destroy and created a bigger version called the Ballista. Hoping for greater efficiency, they added cranks on the end. This way they could be operated by only one or two men, while the others fought. The Ballista was a great success. Later, in the Middle Ages, something called a trebuchet was created. Instead of using tension or a spring as the power source, the trebuchet used gravity and weights to launch the projectile. Speaking of, there are four different sources of power for a catapult: tension, torsion, traction, and gravity. Catapults that used tension, had a long throwing arm, so that when the arm was brought back for launch, the arm would not break. Torsion-powered devices used a crank to move the arm back for launch. Catapults that were traction-powered, such as a trebuchet, used a person as the power source. The arm would be horizontal with the opposite end up in the air and the projectile end towards the ground. Then, the men would bring down the opposite end and release the projectile. As for the one powered by gravity, a counterweight was built into the other side of the arm opposite the projectile. When the projectile side was released, the counterweight would pull the other end down sending the projectile flying.
         Today, catapults are not really used anymore, but in their time, catapults were a revolutionary weapon!