Fireworks

A fireworks event (also called a fireworks display or fireworks show) is a spectacular display of the effects produced by firework devices on various occasions. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places.

History of fireworks

In the Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) firecrackers were made by roasting bamboo to produce the loud sound (known as "bian pao") that was intended to frighten evil spirits. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties (AD 420–581) the firecrackers were used not only to dispel evil but also to pray for happiness and prosperity.

Related Topics:
Han Dynasty - 206 BC - AD 220 - Firecracker - Bamboo - Northern - Southern Dynasties - AD 420 - 581

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The discovery of gunpowder and the invention of the first true fireworks are traditionally credited to the Chinese, although India is also a likely source. Some scholars believe fireworks were developed in the Sui and Tang Dynasties (581–907), but others believe there were no fireworks until the Northern Song Dynasty (10th century).

Related Topics:
Gunpowder - Chinese - India - Sui - Tang - 581 - 907 - Northern Song Dynasty - 10th century

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Since then, any event—a birth, death, wedding, coronation, or New Year's Eve celebration—has become a fitting occasion for noisemakers.

Related Topics:
Birth - Death - Wedding - Coronation - New Year's Eve - Noisemaker

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Musick for the Royal Fireworks was composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749 to celebrate the peace of Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, which had been declared the previous year.

Related Topics:
George Frideric Handel - 1749 - Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle

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America's earliest settlers brought their enthusiasm for fireworks to the United States. Fireworks and black powder were used to celebrate important events long before the American Revolutionary War. The very first celebrations of Independence Day were in 1777, six years before Americans knew whether the new nation would survive the war; fireworks were a part of those festivities. In 1789, George Washington's inauguration was also accompanied by a fireworks display. This early fascination with their noise and color continues today.

Related Topics:
United States - Black powder - American Revolutionary War - Independence Day - 1777 - 1789 - George Washington

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In 2004, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, started using air burst fireworks launched with compressed air rather than black powder, the first time that such a launch system was used commercially. The display charge is detonated using an electronic timer. The advantages of compressed air launch are a reduction in fumes, and much greater accuracy in height and timing. (Walt Disney Company, 2004)

Related Topics:
2004 - Disneyland - Anaheim, California - Compressed - Air

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Today, the world's most prominent industry competition for fireworks manufacturers is Le Mondial SAQ in Montreal.

Related Topics:
Le Mondial SAQ - Montreal

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