The history of nitric acid is history of gold and wars. Nitric acid (HNO2) is a highly corrosive and toxic liquid, widely used in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, fertilizers, explosives, and rocket fuels and in a wide variety of industrial processes. It is one of the most important inorganic acides. The earliest known written description of the nitric acid synthesis is credited to the alchemist Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan more famous as Geber. Alchemists used nitirc acid in transmutations of silver to gold. Many organic nitrates such as nitroglycerine and TNT are highly explosive and play important role in wars. The history and present of nitric acid is discussed.