Next month we are publishing A History of the World in 100 Weapons, a superbly chunky book which tells the stories of the hundred definitive weapons whose effects have been the most revolutionary, changing the way war is waged and the very world we live in. As part of the lead up to the publication of the book I decided to use Twitter to reveal the 100 weapons that feature in the book.
If you are a Twitter fiend, why not check out @100_weapons and join in with the countdown?
But for all of you out there who do not use Twitter on a regular basis, here is a list of the first 50 books to feature in my list, in alphabetical order.
Let us know what you think - have we missed anything out so far? Any weapons you believe to be overrated?
1) A-10 Thunderbolt
2) AH-64 Apache
3) AIM-9 Sidewinder
4) Aircraft Carrier
5) AK 47
6) Atomic Bomb
7) B-17 Flying Fortress
8) B-52 Stratofortress
9) Baker Rifle
10) Ballistic Missiles
11) Bayonet
12) Bell UH-1
13) BGM-109 Tomahawk
14) Bow
15) Bronze Age Sword
16) Browning M2HB
17) Chariot
18) Chinese Rockets
19) Colt M1911
20) Crossbow
21) CSS Hunley
22) Dane Axe
23) Depth charge
24) Dreadnought
25) Dreyse needle gun
26) Early Cannon
27) Enfield Pattern 1853
28) English Longbow
29) Exocet
30) Explosive Shells
31) F-117 Nighthawk
32) F-15 Eagle
33) F-4 Phantom
34) FIM-92 Stinger
35) Flak 88
36) Flamethrower
37) Flint Axe
38) Flintlock
39) Fokker D VII
40) French 75mm 1897
41) Gatling Gun
42) Gladius
43) Greek Fire
44) Halberd
45) Hand Grenade
46) Harrier
47) Hoplite Dory
48) Howitzer
49) Improvised Explosive Devices
50) Ironclad