An atlatl is essentially a spear-throwing tool. The spear, or dart, is placed in an arm-length shaft, which is used to fling the projectile. The mechanics are similar to the tennis-ball throwers dog owners use for playing fetch.

Catapults shot stones and spears. Often they were used when an army would lay siege to a castle. Catapults worked like huge slingshots, using tension to fling projectiles.

A traction trebuchet is a siege weapon similar to a catapult, except it is powered by human effort rather than counterweights or tension.

Muskets were long guns that fired a metal ball. A musket was loaded before each shot by dropping a musket ball into the end of the gun's barrel.

Revolvers had several advantages over long guns. They were smaller and easier to use, capable of being fired with one hand. They could also fire six shots before needing to be reloaded.

A fusion, or hydrogen, bomb has the potential to be thousands of times more destructive than the nuclear bombs detonated at the end of World War II.