Amazing Fireworks From Around the World

According to dictionary.com, the definition of fireworks is a combusible or explosive device which creates a striking display of light or noise, for signaling, or for a celebration.

According to the merriam-webster dictionary, a firework is a small device that explodes and makes a display of light noise.

Most of us have seen fireworks, but do we really understand how fireworks work?

A firework is generally composed of a container (for example, a paper tube), stars (spheres or cylinders of sparkler-like composition made of metal salts), a bursting charge at the center of the shell, and a fuse.

The stars are surrounded by black powder, which is packed inside the tube, or shell. The bursting charge, which is located in the center of the shell. When the fuse is lit and burns into the shell, it ignites the bursting charge, causing the shell to explode. The explosion throws the stars into all directions, causing a sphere of sparkling lights.

More complex shells explode in phases, and are called multibreak shells. These multibreak shells contain a shell filled with other shells, or have multiple sections along with multiple fuses.

The pattern of a firework that is created in the sky is based on how the star pellets are arrangements inside the shell. The colors of fireworks are produced by the use of the metal salts which are contained in the shell.

Sources: howstuffworks.com, chemistry.about.com

Now that you’ve learned about the general components of a firework shell, here’s a little bit of history of fireworks:

• Some say that the first “firecrackers” dates to thousands of years ago, and originated when bamboo was burned as fuel for a fire, and then they accidentally exploded. Alchemists experimented with mixing different ingredients, experimenting to make it more powerful. By the 10^th century, these explosive devices were used for military purposes.
• One theory of how fireworks started over 2,000 years is that in China after a cook working in a kitchen accidentally mixed sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter (a common food preservative); when burned in an enclosed container, the mixture exploded.
• Once the ingredients of surfur, charcoal, and saltpeter were perfected, gunpowder was born. This is thought to have occurred around the 11^th or 12^th century. Overtime, as gunpowder was use in the military, sparks would occur at factories where gunpowder was grinded and mixed. Sometimes armies would celebrate victories by shooting rockets and cannons in the sky, which create aerial bursts. This was the beginning of how fireworks began.
• When powdered metals and charcoal were added to rockets, this created gold and silver sparks in the sky.
• Over the years, firework displays became more and more elaborate, and different countries were using fireworks to celebrate special occasions.
• In the 1830’s in Italy, scientists discovered that adding certain types of metal salts would create fireworks in more colors such as red, green, blue and yellow.

Sources: fireworks.com, pyrouniverse.com, whoinvented.org

Enjoy this collection of amazing photos of some of the most beautiful fireworks from different places throughout the world:

Fireworks being people together and bring joy and excitement to all ages. It’s amazing to see how many people flock to fireworks events. This is one event that brings people from all walks of life together to experience something wonderful: the beauty of fireworks.

This is Hub #15 of 30 of my 30 Hubs in 30 Days Challenge.