I ran across this...
"Hercules and now,
Alliant Unique is one of our oldest staple reloading powders having been in continuous production since the late 19th century. Introduced primarily for mid-range rifle loads, Unique quickly became a standard for shotgun and handgun shooters as well. It delivers excellent, high-range performance in revolver cartridges ranging from the .32 S&W Long through the .44 Special and does journeyman service in a variety of auto pistol chamberings as well. Until well into the 1960s, Unique was considered the only powder suited for standard loads in the .45
Colt. It is considered very stable and resistant to atmospheric influences, non-critical as to positioning in the case, displaying extreme lot-to-lot consistency throughout its history of manufacture.
The revealed history of Unique varies among a number of sources. My favorite version comes from my first reloading handbook, The Speer Reloading Manual No. 3 from 1959. According to Speer, the propellant was introduced in 1890 by the Laughlin and Rand Powder Company under the name "Infallible." This was only six years after Paul Vieille created the first smokeless powder suitable for use in small arms.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Laughlin and Rand and the Hercules Powder Company came to an agreement that placed the smokeless powders under the Hercules label. Some sources report that Hercules
Bullseye came out in 1898 with the newly labeled Unique following a couple of years later. Others insist Bullseye derived from Unique, either as a by-product of screening or, according to one source--"floor sweepings."
Reloading manuals throughout most of the 20th century create the impression the earlier Laughlin and Rand product, Hercules and Alliant Unique, remained unchanged in any important respect right up until introduction of the "New, Cleaner Burning" Alliant Unique circa 2000. As an interesting aside to its longevity, the Speer No. 3 relates a can of L&R Infallible from 1890 was unearthed at the factory in the late 1950s and performed according to the original 19th century specifications."
