If you love fireworks, then you’re going to love this list of amazing facts!
- Fireworks are older than a millennium. – Believe it or not, the earliest documentation of fireworks dates all the way back to 7th century China. That’s right — they were invented more than 2,000 years ago! Now, China is the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the entire world. In fact, 90% of all fireworks originate in China.
- The Founding Fathers were fans. – Right after the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife that they should celebrate with fireworks, and predicted a holiday date of July 2. Too bad he was a couple days off, which is why America does fireworks on July 4.
- Fireworks are seriously dangerous. Even sparklers. – Fireworks are more dangerous than you’d think. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recorded at least 6,300 fireworks-related injuries in July 2010. About 1,200 of which were caused by sparklers, which can burn at a temperature of over 15 times the boiling point of water. Three long lasting sparklers put together can generate as much heat as a blowtorch, in fact. Luckily, there are wedding sparklers and other indoor sparklers that can be safely used to celebrate other occasions that aren’t outdoors.
- The biggest fireworks display wasn’t in the U.S.. – Believe it or not, Portugal actually holds the world record for the biggest firework display. In 2006, it had 37 launch sites spread across the island of Madeira setting off no less than 66,326 individual fireworks, earning them the Guinness World Record.
- Some fireworks recipes include sound elements. – Not all firework recipes are meant to show off just pretty colors. Some have sounds, too. They contain layers of an organic salt that when combined with the oxidizer potassium perchlorate, slowly burn one at a time, releasing a gas that creates the whistling sound.
If you know any other cool firework facts, feel free to share in the comments. Visit here for more information.