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The first, most primitive type of
'firework' was used in ancient China to ward away
evil spirits. These 'firecrackers' were chunks
of healthy green bamboo that exploded when thrown
on a fire making an ear piercing bang used to
scare away spirits such as Nian (thought to eat
crops and people) on special occasions such as
births, weddings and the new year.
Around 2000 years ago gunpowder
was discovered, again by the Chinese. As legend
has it, a cook accidentally mixed together three
ingredients: saltpetre (containing potassium nitrate),
sulphur and charcoal and found that when lit,
this black powder produced colourful flames. Packed
into hollow bamboo shoots, the powder produced
approximations to some of the beautiful firework
effects we see today and so was naturally used
as entertainment. Later, the same principles were
applied to make rocket propelled arrows used to
fight the invading Mongols.
Gunpowder was brought back to Europe
by crusaders around the 13th Century AD. As well
as revolutionising warfare by inspiring the invention
of cannons and primitive rifles, it was still
often used in entertainment. The first recorded
use of fireworks in the UK was at the wedding
of Henry VII in 1486. Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed
fireworks so much that she appointed a "Fire
Master of England". Over the next few centuries
recreational fireworks become more and more widespread
throughout Europe, with pyrotechnic schools even
being set up to teach and advance the technology
and art of fireworks.
Settlers of the New World used fireworks
on special occasions, including most notably the
first ever 4th July celebration in 1777 marking
the one year anniversary of Independence Day.
Several developments in pyrotechnics
introduced a variety of colours and effects such
as crackles and sparkles to fireworks. The invention
of the fast fuse gave firemasters the ability
to synchronise the ignition of many fireworks
which could be arranged in simple pictures or
to spell words.
Today, the global firework
industry is valued at hundreds of millions of
dollars. Computer aided ignition and sequencing
enables huge displays to be coordinated, sometimes
to music, with sub-second accuracy. Notable displays
in recent years have been the 100th Anniversary
of the Statue of Liberty in the United States
in 1986 and the enormous displays worldwide celebrating
the turn of the millennium.
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