Did Charles Nelson invent the paintball?

Answer 1

The first paintballs were created in the 1970s by Charles Nelson of the Nelson Paint Company of MI, Inc. in Kingsford, MI for use by foresters in marking trees from a distance, and also for use by cattlemen to mark cows. The earliest versions of paintballs were made from wax, but they were not sufficiently durable, and soon softgel encapsulation was identified as the best method of containing the paint in a projectile that would survive being rapidly accelerated when fired, yet break on the intended target.