The History of Fireworks
Explore the Origins of the Fire Chemical, Roman Candle, and Sparkler
Fireworks Beginnings
As the story goes, apparently a common cook accidentally mixed three common kitchen ingredients (KNO3 - Potassium-Nitrate, Sulfur, and Charcoal) to produce a volitale concoction soon to be used in the creatation of exploding bamboo sticks and propeling live rats at enemies and their horses (in one of the more bizarre examples of psychological warfare in early history).
Out of the Orient
It is believed that Marco Polo transported the Chinese "fire-chemical" (huo yao) outside of the Orient to the Middle East some time durung the 13th Century, although some accounts credit knights of The Crusades for the discovery. Nevertheless, by 1560 Europeans scientists had further refined the volitility of the mixture by using the following ratios: 75% salt peter, 15% Charcoal, and 10% Sulphur (ratios still more or less used today). But it was the Italians (although some say Germans) who discovered that by using aerial shells and various slow-burning compounds that they could manufacture brilliant exploding fountains of colour.
Fireworks in Great Britain
From then on, the whole of Europe was fascinated by the idea of controlled fire, especially the wealthy, and grand fireworks displays soon came to indicate high societal standing. Such displays became so popular that during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I that she created the position of "Fire Master of England," and King James II was so pleased with the fireworks display during his coronation that he knighted his Fire Master. Even Shakespeare mentions notes that "certain stars shot madly from their spheres" in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Still, for nearly 2,000 years, the only colors produced were yellows and oranges (from steel and charcoal).
The Modern Era of Pyrotechnics
The multi-hued displays that we know now began in the 1830s, when Italian chemists added trace amounts of metals and salts that burned at high temperatures, creating beautiful and exciting new colors. Other additives also produced interesting effects, like calcium to deepen colors, titanium to make sparks, and zinc to create mysterious smoke clouds. Chemists also found that stontium created red fireworks, baium created green, copper made blue, sodium made yellow, and white/gold was derived from aluminium and magnesim.
As the art of fireworks matured, the anatomy changed as well, with a standard make up (according to riverdeep online) that still consists of a shell (the main container with a charge of gunpowder in the bottom), stars (marble-size units containing metal salts and color-producing chemicals), breaks (cardboard sections each containing gunpowder), and spegettes (small time-release fuses loaded in the breaks). This new technology produced a brighter, more vibrant, longer-lastinging display of color and light.
Facts on Fireworks
Speaking of light, it travel almost 170 times faster than sound (as any high school science book will tell you), so fireworks always have a duel impact - first light (caused by burning chemical salts), then, moments later, sound, which is caused by the rapidly expanding gas (produced by igniting the chemicals) bursting through the shell and displacing the air around it very quickly. This movement of air creates reverberating waves, which the ear precieves as sound, says Robert Krampf's Science Education Co.
