Fireworks
This Fourth of July--our first in the United States since 2001--was a real bang. We watched the fireworks from a rooftop terrace in Brooklyn and were able to see three of the seven barges clearly. The spectacular display got me wondering about fireworks, how they came to be, and how they became such an Independence Day mainstay here in America. So, as I am wont to do, I researched.
China is the largest producer of fireworks today, and it also seems to be their birthplace. Most sources state that a Chinese chef accidentally came up with the recipe for fireworks after mixing three common kitchen ingredients. The resulting substance, which produced small explosions when heated, was what is known today as black powder (which is also the basis for gunpowder). One can perhaps leave to speculation the reasons why a cook was mixing such explosive ingredients in the first place, but at any rate, fireworks were born. .
Fireworks were used in China to ward off evil spirits and for celebration. Once it was discovered that stuffing the powder in bamboo shoots was an effective way to harness and launch the explosives, they became more widely used. Legend has it that explorers to the Orient brought fireworks back with them, first to Arabia and later to the Western world. From there their popularity spread. Color was added through the addition of more chemicals in the 19th century, and one of the biggest public displays of its time was a show in front of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1892 celebrating the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the "New World." In 1986, a similarly spectacular show was staged to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty.
Fireworks have now become synonymous with Fourth of July celebrations. There is something about watching a display light up the night sky that it brings out a child-like fascination even in the most jaded adults. This year, in my new hometown, among new friends, I was lucky enough to see the biggest fireworks show in the country. With the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, I saw the night sky light up in technicolor. I, for one, am very happy that that Chinese cook decided to get a little crazy in the kitchen all of those hundreds of years ago!