Anyone who lived through what was, with massive understatement, labelled "The Troubles" here in the UK, is familiar with a wide range of names of explosives that were used in bombs by groups such as the IRA. Gelignite was an early choice, along with ANFO (a mix of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, hence the initials - check out the recent explosion in Beirut to see how devastating anything involving ammonium nitrate in quantity can be).
Later on, the IRA acquired Semtex - a powerful plastic explosive that could deliver widespread destruction in much smaller quantities, and hence allow the construction of compact, easily concealed but lethally effective bombs. The emergence of Semtex on the terrorist landscape concentrated political minds in an ominous manner.
Anyone outside the UK unfamiliar with this period, can be pointed at several key incidents that bring home how the British public came to know more about high explosives than it wished to. The Brighton Hotel Bombing (an attempt by the IRA to wipe out the government during the Tory Party conference) and the high street bombing in Warrington (just 8 miles from my home) spring to mind here.
30 years of that sort of activity leaves a lasting impression on the public that lived through it.
