The first true gunpowder rockets were developed in China around the 12th–13th century, often dated to about 1100–1232 CE, when “fire arrows” were used in warfare and festivals.

Quick Scoop: Key Points

  • Early concepts of rocket-like propulsion go back to about 400 BCE, when Archytas demonstrated a steam‑propelled wooden “pigeon,” but this was more a physics experiment than a practical rocket.
  • The first practical rockets using gunpowder propellant appeared in China, with records of fire arrows and rocket weapons during the Song dynasty, roughly between 969 and 1232 CE.
  • By 1232, Chinese fire arrows are clearly described as true rockets used against Mongol invaders, and many historians treat this as the first solid, well‑documented use of rockets.

So, if you are asking “when was the first rocket made” in the sense of a real, weapon‑ or firework‑style rocket, the best short answer is: China, around the 1100s–early 1200s CE, with clear evidence by 1232.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.