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TNT wasn't even know to be an explosive for some 30 years after its invention. Surprisingly it was first used as a yellow dye for clothing and other products. Source
The reason nobody realized it was an explosive is because it's extremely stable. You can light it on fire and shoot it with a gun and it still wont go off. It takes heat and an intense shock far greater than a bullet (keep in mind I'm also referring to the black powder period from 1863 when TNT was invented to 1891 when they first realized it was explosive. No smokeless powder yet) to make it detonate.
Also nitroglycerine is a completely different compound. Trinitrotoluene is TNT's full name. 3 nitrogen dioxide groups attached to toluene. Nitroglycerine is 3 nitro groups attached to glycerine. Calling them the same thing (as someone else commented) is like calling a cat a dog because they have canine teeth.
TNT and dynamite are completely different just so you all know. Dynamite is nitroglycerine soaked into sawdust and diatomaceous earth to make it safer to handle and less likely to spontaneously explode. TNT is called TNT and is so safe it's a struggle to detonate it. You need a much more sensitive explosive to seto ff TNT by providing the initial energy needed.