Berthold Schwarz, the German monk who invented gunpowder, was neither German, nor a monk, nor did he invent gunpowder. He wasn't even Berthold Schwarz. Let's discuss.

German: by some accounts, he was Danish or Greek. Some even say he had African heritage.

Monk: who knows, really. In some versions, sure. In some, not so much.

Invented gunpowder: OF COURSE NOT! Gunpowder was used by the Chinese as early as the 9th century, 500 years before Schwarz's supposed discovery.

Name: about that "Schwarz"... (No, it's not what you think.) His name might have been Bertold von Lutzelstetten, or even Konstantin Angeleisen. The "Schwarz" might have just come from the German word for black, because, you know, gunpowder is black. (Told you, it's not what you think.)

Oh, and he probably wasn't real at all. End of discussion!