BoomBoom!

What better way to celebrate July 4th, or any big event than with fireworks? Originally invented in China, they had their beginning when in 800 AD, an alchemist, searching for the formula for eternal life, mixed sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate together and discovered gun powder. Packed into bamboo or paper tubes, fireworks were initially thrown onto a fire and used to scare evil spirits or for noisy celebrations of weddings or births.

Gunpowder was adopted quickly by the military, and the cannons that aimed projectiles at the enemy eventually had a more celebratory use off the battlefield when used to launch aerial fireworks.

In the US, the first display occurred on July 4, 1777, celebrating the first anniversary of American Independence and featured only one color, orange. It wasn’t until the 1830s that Italian inventors added metals to the gunpowder, and the spectacular multi-hued fireworks we now enjoy were born.