Bang! Bam! Zowie!!

June 29, 2008

We take ‘em for granted every 4th of July. Colorful, festive, a little magical, and of course noisy, fireworks are part of summer’s traditions, especially here, where their twinkling shapes reflect off of the lakes to double your fun - and they’re a nighttime activity that everyone looks forward to. But how much do you really know about fireworks - where do they come from, how long have they been around, and just how do they get those fantastic colors?

FROM CHINA TO AMERICA
Fireworks have been traced back as far as the 12th century - specifically in China, where they were used early on to frighten away evil spirits. As the legend goes, a Chinese cook accidentally spilled potassium nitrate (which was sometimes used as a flavoring salt, and is also an ingredient in gunpowder) into a cooking fire, and was surprised at the resulting bright pink-orange flame. Further experimentation by a Chinese monk named Li Tian showed that while saltpeter made pretty colored flames in a fire, it would explode if mixed with sulfur and charcoal, enclosed in a bamboo tube; these were the first firecrackers, fueled by the mix of powders that was called “Huo Yao,” or “Fire Chemical” by the Chinese - known in English as gunpowder.
The Chinese used gunpowder for propulsion during wartime as well. Handcarved, dragon-shaped wooden rockets were used to shoot arrows at the Mongol invaders in 1270, and “Ground Rats” - unfortunately a literal name - consisted of those bamboo firecrackers filled with real rats, which supplied a frightening psychological effect to both soldiers and skittish horses when the firecrackers exploded and threw rats everywhere.
Explorers picked up on these war tools and took them back to their home countries and beyond; 17th Century Arabians called them “Chinese Arrows,” and Marco Polo carried gunpowder to Europe.
Meanwhile, the Italians developed aerial shells that would launch the chemical mixes into the air and explode them into fountains of color; and firework-masters became revered in the Far East for their skills in composing complex shows of firework light and sound for feasts and other celebrations.
America began using fireworks for Independence Day early on in our history - so early, as a matter of fact, that the celebrating was taking place in 1777, several years before Americans even knew whether or not this new fledgling nation would survive the war. It did, of course; and George Washington’s inaugeration as our nation’s first president was feted with fireworks in 1789.
Today, the U.S. is only one of several nations who feature fireworks as a highlight of major events.

‘ROUND THE WORLD
In the UK, and also in former Brit colonies such as New Zealand and South Africa, Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in rememberance of Guy Fawkes and his band of conspirators, who attempted to blow up the Parliament of England - and the British king - in 1605. Guy Fawkes Night is subtitled Bonfire Night, which means, of course, plenty of bonfires - some of them involving the burning of Guy Fawkes effigies - and tons of fireworks.
In India, Thrissur Pooram is one of the biggest and most colorful temple festivals, attracting spectators from all around Kerala in the spring for the 36-hour event. Processions of the best parasol-carrying elephants match visuals with magnificent firework displays that run for three to four hours; the fireworks are presented by two different groups who compete with each other to craft the most magnificent and colorful display.
Also in India is Diwali, the Festival of Lights that celebrates the triumph of good over evil; houses are adorned with colorful lights and lit oil lamps, and entire families participate in displays of fireworks, made all the most eclectic by the fact that fireworks are widely available in India. “Phooltharis” or sparklers are common, just like on 4th of July in the U.S., but folks in India also buy up plenty of “Zameen Chakra” (spinning circles of fire), “Anaars” (flower petals) and the sometimes frighteningly loud “Chilli Bombs.”
In Canada, Victoria Day and Canada Day are the only two days of the year during which Canadians can purchase fireworks; in Malta, the International Fireworks Festival, held in the Valletta Grand Harbor, showcases international fireworks artists; and Singapore, the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations are an annual event.
Summer in Japan means fireworks, too - fireworks festivals are held nearly every day throughout the summer season, with 200 fireworks fests in August alone; and in Ireland, it’s autumn that is fireworks time, with big Halloween fireworks displays in Derry and Dublin, even though the sale of fireworks is restricted.
People just can’t resist those brightly colored sparks of light.

PAINTING WITH CHEMICALS
Speaking of color - have you ever wondered how they get those amazing shades for the sky displays, especially when the common sparkler is usually just white or yellow? Well, before the 19th century, white, yellow, and orange was all they had; chlorates weren’t invented until the late 18th century (adding reds and greens) and they didn’t get the blues until the late 1900s.
Colors in fireworks originate from something called pyrotechnic stars, which contain a fuel which allows them to burn (the metal flakes glow brightly when they heat up); an oxidizer which produces oxygen to help the fuel burn longer; color-producing chemicals (more on this in a minute); chlorine to strengthen those colors; the bursting charge at the center; and a binder to hold the firework pellet together in a cylinder with, of course, a fuse that provides a time delay from the time it’s lit until the proper altitude is in the sky.
Not all chemicals work for coloring fireworks; those that work best will make a pure, bright color. The most difficult color to “get right” in fireworks is purple, while the most common is probably white, as evidenced by those easy-to-acquire sparklers; the goal of many professional pyrotechnics, however, is a dark green, a fireworks color that eludes them to this day.
Calcium is used to get an orange color, while sodium makes yellow, and red can be sparked by lithium or, for a darker red, stronium. For yellow-green, barium (non-radioactive) is used, while copper creates those bright blues. For gold, charcoal or iron are best; and for white, aluminium, magnesium, or titanium. Blue fireworks are created with the help of copper chloride, and for that elusive purple, it takes a mix of two - potassium or strontium plus copper; kind of like mixing red and blue food coloring, but a lot more volatile.

FAMILIAR SIGHTS
What’s your favorite firework? There are plenty of classic shapes well-known to firework viewers - and also plenty of innovations each year, as firework artists and manufacturers strive to make displays even better than before.
The Peony is the most commonly seen firework, along with the Chrysanthemum, those spherical, flower-like shapes that are definite crowd pleasers. Willows are the fireworks that leave those domes of light trails behind, while Palms feature a rising tail (or “tree trunk”) that displays as the firework shoots up to make the “palm leaves” on top. The fireworks that create smiley faces or hearts are incongrously called Rings, while fireworks with a more solid middle and flat, and straight trails all the way around, are called the more obvious Spiders.
Those long, draping tails that look like falling water, are called - surprise - Waterfalls; and the shells that make large bursts of color and then suddenly burst into smaller circles of sparks, coupled with that familiar loud crackling sound are called Crossettes or Serpentines. Similarly, Multi-Breaks or Bouquets are just what they sound like - a large shell that contains several smaller shells that all explode at once.
And that biggest bang of all, the one that wraps up the finale of most firework displays by rattling the windows? That’s called a Maroon or a Salute. And with that, we’ll wrap up our look at one of summer’s most beautiful and unique events - and you can go and impress your friends with your fireworks knowledge!