Independence Day is the time for fireworks, and Tidbits presents these facts on the history of pyrotechnics.
• The invention of fireworks is credited to the Chinese who, as early as 200 B.C., were heating green bamboo stalks over coals to dry. As the wood expanded, it would burst with a loud bang, which the Chinese used to frighten their enemies as well as scare off evil spirits. Around 600 B.C., as they searched for a concoction for immortality, they mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, with the accidental result of gunpowder. They stuffed the bamboo stalks with the compound, and used them in warfare, attaching them to arrows aimed at their enemies.
• While the Chinese invented fireworks, the Italians hold the acclaim for the invention of the aerial shell. In the 1830s, Italian pyrotechnicians created a cone-shaped shell with fuel in the bottom, and a layer of tiny balls of chemicals, along with a charge. They’re also the ones who deduced that different metallic powders produced specific colors.
• The principle of fireworks is simple. It needs an oxidizer, a fuel, and a chemical mixture to create color. When exposed to fire, the oxidizer breaks the fuel’s chemical bonds, releasing their energy. Because different chemicals burn at different wavelengths of light, a variety of colors is produced. Titanium and magnesium produce silver or white, calcium burns orange, and sodium creates yellow. Compounds of strontium and lithium generate deep reds, while barium burns green. Blue is the most difficult to create, and although copper burns blue, it is frequently mixed with barium and chlorine to generate neon green and turquoise.
• The whistling sound of fireworks is created by layering sodium salicylate and potassium perchlorate. As the layers burns, a gas is released, generating the whistle. Aluminum or iron flakes produce hissing or sizzling sounds, while titanium powder is responsible for loud blasts.
• The first known fireworks display for a specific event was in 1486 at the wedding of Henry VII. His son, Henry VIII also included fireworks in his wedding celebration when he wed Anne Boleyn. (He later had her beheaded.) Another wedding fireworks show didn’t end well, when, in 1770, King Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette. The display caused a fire in the scaffolding, which created a panic and stampede, injuring hundreds. Although 132 were confirmed dead, some estimates go as high as 800 fatalities, including people who were pushed into the Seine River where they drowned.
• Americans have been shooting off fireworks on Independence Day since 1777, when Philadelphia arranged a day of festivities including a 13-cannon display, a parade, music, musket salutes, and fireworks. However, an old legend says that Captain John Smith ignited fireworks in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608 to either impress or scare the Native Americans. • About $2 billion is spent on fireworks every July 4th in the U.S., about 175 million pounds worth. Fireworks certainly aren’t without risk. In 2024, there were 11 deaths and more than 14,700 injuries, of which 20% required hospitalization. Sparklers, which can burn as hot as 2,000 degrees F (1,093 C), are responsible for a large portion. The illegal M-80 fireworks have contributed to lost fingers and hands. In addition, fireworks spark tens of thousands of wildfires every year. The particulate matter in firework smoke can cause lung problems and trigger asthma attacks, while the explosions can disrupt heart rhythm and even contribute to heart attacks.
