Celebrating the birth of the United States with a bang is almost as old as the nation itself. The first Independence Day celebration took place on July 4, 1777, just a year after the United States declared its independence. By the early 1800s, traditions such as parades, picnics and fireworks were becoming established traditions as a way to celebrate. One of the oldest fireworks display is Boston's celebration which began in 1805.
More than 200 years later, fireworks celebrations continue to be a strong Fourth of July tradition. After a day of cookouts, picnics, parades and family gatherings, people across the nation will gather at dusk to view breathtaking fireworks displays.
The invention of fireworks is credited to the Chinese who invented explosive black powder around 1000 A.D. It was first used as a weapon, but the Chinese later discovered it was fun to to watch the rockets explode. Over the next 100 years, others began to experiment with different techniques of creating fireworks.
In the 1830s, Italian pyrotechnics discovered that by adding potassium chlorate to the fireworks, it puts more oxygen into chemical reaction and in effect made it burn faster and hotter. This discovery allowed the pyrotechnics to add different chemicals at can burn at higher temperatures and create various colors and effects.
Today pyrotechnics use technology to create more advanced fireworks. Fireworks can now be launched by computer technology and can be made into shapes such as smiley faces and stars.
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