Description
In 1920, the popular newspaper comic strip Jerry on the Job was adapted by Bray Studios into a few animated films. In “The Bomb Idea,” Jerry and another character read that “Bolsheviki” are on the loose throughout the country, and that all citizens should be on alert. Shortly after, a man arrives carrying a heavy, black sphere. Jerry and his friend panic, assuming the item is a bomb, when eventually it is revealed to just be a bowling ball. But it’s clear that by 1920, everyone knew what a bomb looked like. Except, by 1920, bombs didn’t really look like that anymore. They hadn’t for nearly 50 years, as nitroglycerin and dynamite began replacing black powder as the explosive of choice. However, the black, spherical bomb, wick slowly burning away to a boom, has remained the understood image for an explosive. From Looney Tunes to Adam West’s Batman to jokes on Homestar Runner, this is what our bombs look like.
