Berthold Schwarz Berthold Schwarz Berthold Schwarz (sometimes spelled Schwartz), also known as Berthold the Black and "der Schwartzer", was a legendary German (or in some accounts Danish or Greek) alchemist of the late 14th century, credited with the invention of gunpowder by 15th- through 19th-century European literature. The purported period of Schwarz' activity (late 14th century) thus falls between the first reports of gunpowder in Europe (late 13th century) and the development of effective applications in artillery (mid 15th century). It is unclear whether Schwarz is a historical person. It has been suggested that he was a historical alchemist who had developed
Frederick August Otto Schwarz Frederick August Otto Schwarz Frederick August Otto Schwarz (October 18, 1836 – May 17, 1911) was a German-American toy retailer who started FAO Schwarz. Schwarz was born in 1836 at Herford, Westphalia, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1856 with his three brothers, Henry, Richard, and Gustav. He worked for a Baltimore stationery importer. German exporters sometimes packed toys and other items in with the stationery in the hope of expanding their exports. Schwarz put the toys in the store window, and they outsold the stationery. By 1862 he had switched to selling the toys from his own