Dynamite was invented by alfred nobel and was the first safely manageable explosive stronger than black powder. nobel obtained patents for his invention: in england on may 7, 1867 and in sweden on october 19, 1867. he originally sold sold dynamite as ''nobel’s blasting powder'' after its introduction, dynamite rapidly gained wide-scale use as a safe alternative to gunpowder and nitroglycerin. nobel tightly controlled the patents, and unlicensed duplicating companies were quickly shut down. however, a few american businessmen got around the patent by using a slightly different formula.