Fireworks and JUly 4th
By: M.

FACTS ABOUT FIREWORKS AND JULY 4TH- UNITED STATES INDEPENDENCE

Fireworks are present at nearly every Fourth of July or patriotic event. New Year's eve is another party event that nearly always gives cause to shoot off fireworks. Fireworks have an interesting history of their own, as well as their place in American holidays and celebrations.

Who invented fireworks? Fireworks were developed by the Chinese as early as the 1100s. The legend is that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed charcoal, saltpeter, and sulphur, causing an explosion. The Chinese used fireworks to frighten off evil spirits.

The beginning of fireworks' association with American patriotism began during the very first Fourth of July event in America in 1776. Rebellious residents of Philadelphia who wanted freedom from the British crown lit bright candles in their windows. Others that were loyal to the British, called Tories, kept their windows darkened. Those early symbols of light have evolved into spectacular light shows all across the United States each Fourth of July holiday.

The noisy fireworks that sound like gunshots and rockets also originate from that very first Fourth of July in 1776. After the Declaration of Independence had been announced to the general public, people began to celebrate by firing rifles and guns throughout the city of Philadelphia. In honor of the thirteen colonies, thirteen rockets were fired into the air in the center of Philadelphia and the United States Navy fired thirteen cannons from each warship. The very next year marked the first Independence Day celebration in America to use fireworks. Congress was adjourned for the day. Philadelphia celebrated with bonfires and fireworks. And the United States hadn't even gained independence yet.