HOW FIREWORKS WORK
Discover the science behind the glitter and sparkle of these pyrotechnics
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
Whether it’s the Fourth of July, Guy Fawkes Night or New Year’s Eve, you’re sure to see the sparking light of nearby fireworks, followed quickly by their boisterous booms. But igniting colourful chemicals and shooting them into the sky isn’t a new tradition by any means. The first fireworks were hurtling into the sky in around 600 BCE in ancient China. Ancient alchemists discovered that mixing potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal produced a black powder that’s now referred to as the ‘first gunpowder’. When this powder was stuffed into a bamboo stick and ignited, it created the first firework propulsion system. Early fireworks were used to celebrate weddings, births and even to ward off evil spirits.