Abel, Sir Frederick Augustus
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Sir Frederick Augustus Abel
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An English chemist best known for his invention of cordite, an explosive, Sir Frederick Abel, b. July 17, 1829, d. Sept. 6, 1902, was for many years the British War Department's chief explosives advisor. In 1889 his research into the properties of GUNCOTTON led to the development of cordite, an explosive propellant paste made of guncotton, nitroglycerin, and mineral jelly, and named for its cordlike shape. A smokeless, relatively stable substance, it is still in use today. Abel was knighted in 1883, and in 1893 he was created a baronet.