Fireworks are enjoyed in the modern day all over the world. We use them in celebration of many different festivities including the arrival of a new calendar year.
Now let’s look at some awesome firework facts that will spark your attention.
Where do fireworks originate from?
Fireworks were first invented in China over 2000 years ago. The first firecrackers were chunks of green bamboo, when put with fire it causes the bamboo to make loud cracking sounds.
Because of the way Bamboo grows, it allows for air pockets to form inside the plant’s segments.
Once heated up, the air inside the bamboo expands which causes it to crack through the sides which produces the cracking sound.
Fireworks in the United States of America.
The first 4th of July celebration was in 1777, which at the time the U.S. was in the middle of the Revolutionary War and the outcome was still uncertain.
However, a huge firework display gave everyone a sense of hope and was very successful.
Fireworks used to only be orange and white.
At first, the only colors that could be produced by fireworks were orange and white.
However, some Italian scientists managed to create more colors by adding different types of salt into it.
What else can you tell me about fireworks?
The word for firework in Japanese, “hanabi”, which actually means “fire-flower”.
A rocket can reach speeds of 150 miles per hour, however, the shell can reach as high as 200 meters.
What about sparklers?
A sparkler burns at a temperature over 15 times the boiling point of water.
Three sparklers burning together generate the same heat as a blowtorch.
Sparklers alone cause more injuries than any other type of firework.
Energy at high speed can cause injury.
You see the explosion of a firework before hearing it because sound travels at 761 miles per hour, but light travels at 671 million mph.
Most firework-related injuries happen at family or private parties and roughly half of all injuries are to children under the age of 16.
The most commonplace for injuries from a firework is to hands, eyes, and face.
Fireworks in Britain.
The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of King Henry VII in 1486.
Over 90% of the fireworks sold in Britain still originate from China.
A world record.
The world record for the most rockets set off all at once was set at the Battle of Flowers Parade in Jersey on August 15, 1997, when 39,210 rockets were launched at the push of one button!
If you liked this you may want to read: Why We Remember The Fifth of November.
