Spotlight Magazine
Fireworks
Fireworks have been around for as long
as we can remember and date back to
200BC. Chinese people discovered that
by putting green bamboo stalks over fire,
the wood expanded and created a bang
and sparks.
This wood dried to create
a flaky powder, hence,
fireworks were born. These
scared off enemies and
the Chinese thought they
also warded off evil spirits.
They made war weaponry
by filling the stalks with the
gunpowder, and shot these
as arrows.
Marco Polo is credited
with introducing fireworks
to Europe but it is thought
throughout the Middle East they were used
even earlier, as Arabs used gunpowder
obtained through the silk trade during the
Crusades.
Italian pyrotechnicians created the aerial
shell, where the fireworks are launched
upwards to create a majestic array of
colours. But how do we get these vibrant
colours? Well, metal salts are put into
‘stars’ (small clay lumps),
which when lit create the
sound and visual light
effects which delight adults
and children alike.
Fireworks are used for all
manner of celebrations
today – and whether it’s
U.S. Independence Day
in America, Diwali in
November, or the Don Valley
Grass Bowl in Sheffield
in Yorkshire, family and
friends gather to enjoy the
marvellous visual delights and sounds of
an invention which began by just heating a
piece of wood!
By Debbie Singh-Bhatti
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