Happy 1st of July – have the fireworks started in your neighborhood yet? They were non-stop here over the weekend. Lucky for me, neither of my cats care?
Fireworks have been around for around 4,000 years! The first firecrackers were made in China by throwning bamboo stalks into a fire. Air pockets in the bamboo overheated and resulted in a small BANG as they exploded. The Chinese believed this warded off evil spirits.
But naturally, this BANG wasn’t enough so according to Chinese legend, an alchemist mixed saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal – making a crude version of gun powder – and then filled paper tubes with the mixture while inserting a fuse. Much bigger BANG! And we’ve been off to the races for the biggest bang and the prettiest explosion ever since.
This link will tell you more about the evolution of fireworks – and will allow you to amaze your friends with fun facts at 4th of July celebrations this week! https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/evolution-fireworks
Have a great time at the fireworks shows this week! My town isn’t having a display this year so I’m looking for a good show locally – but there’s always the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Show on TV or the Boston Pops if I can’t find one!
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