50 Fun Facts About Fireworks

Fireworks were invented in which country?

China is still the world's biggest maker and exporter of fireworks today.

Under which Chinese ruling house did the earliest true fireworks appear, between 960 and 1279?

Song-era vendors sold firecrackers in the markets, and a military display entertained the emperor in 1110.

Long before gunpowder, what did Han-dynasty Chinese throw into fires to make a loud bang?

Air trapped in the hollow stems bursts with heat; the word for firecracker, baozhu, literally means 'exploding bamboo'.

Which three ingredients make up traditional gunpowder?

Sulfur and charcoal are the fuel; saltpeter, potassium nitrate, supplies the oxygen so it can burn fast without air.

Which colour is notoriously the hardest to produce in fireworks?

Copper compounds have to burn at a very precise temperature; a deep, rich blue is considered the mark of an expert maker.

Salts of which metal give fireworks a deep red colour?

The element was identified in 1790 by its crimson flame test, from ore found in the Scottish village of Strontian.

Compounds of which metal burn with a green flame in fireworks?

Some barium compounds are toxic, which is one reason green fireworks are a pollution concern.

Which metal fuels the brightest fireworks stars, nicknamed 'Mag Stars'?

Pure magnesium is rarely used because it does not form a protective oxide layer; an alloy called magnalium is common instead.

What are the small pellets inside a shell that burn to produce the coloured points of light called?

Each star contains a fuel, an oxidiser, a colour-producing salt and a binder to hold it together.

Which is the most commonly seen aerial shell effect: a sphere of coloured stars with no tails?

Add trailing sparks and it becomes a chrysanthemum; make the burning pellets few and large and it is a dahlia.

Which shell effect is named after a Japanese word for a boy's haircut?

Its dense dome of glittering gold or silver droops like a bowl cut as it falls.

Which shell effect produces a break of stars that shoot away from the burst as if swimming?

Palm shells imitate a tree trunk with a rising tail, and spiders leave straight radial lines like legs.

A shell that fires only flash powder to produce a loud bang rather than a picture is called what?

Salutes, also called maroons, are packed into finales for sheer noise; some places ban the louder version.

In firework jargon, what is a 'cake'?

A single cake can hold more than 1,000 shots and goes by names like 'Waco Wakeup' and 'Poisonous Spider'.

A long tube that shoots out large stars one after another at regular intervals is called what?

They are often set up in fans or criss-cross patterns close to the crowd; larger ones fire small shells called bombettes.

Roughly how hot does a hand-held sparkler burn?

That is hot enough to melt some metals, which is why the humble sparkler causes so many burns each year.

Which two elements are common ingredients in whistling fireworks' fuel?

The whistle comes from the fuel burning in extremely fast pulses, not from any special tube shape.

A firework called a 'hummer' makes its noise how?

They whizz and hum as they spin, sounding like a short cheer.

Which theme park pioneered compressed-air launches of aerial fireworks in 2004?

The shells are timed electronically, cutting smoke and improving accuracy; Disney became the world's biggest fireworks buyer.

Who is the largest single buyer of fireworks in the world?

Nightly shows at a dozen parks add up; its California park alone has fired fireworks most nights since the 1950s.

Which department store has sponsored New York's Fourth of July fireworks every year since 1976?

The store's very first fireworks show was on July 1, 1958, for its own 100th birthday.

Which US TV network has broadcast the Macy's fireworks special since 2000?

Its contract runs to 2035 and is bundled with the Thanksgiving parade rights.

Which landmark is the main focal point of Australia's biggest New Year's Eve fireworks show?

The idea of firing from the bridge came from a New York bridge's centenary show in 1983.

A 1983 centenary fireworks show on which New York structure gave Sydney the idea for its harbour display?

Sydney's own display was made official by the Festival of Sydney and its first bridge-based show was designed by Syd Howard.

Guy Fawkes Night on 5 November marks the failure of which conspiracy?

Fawkes was caught guarding the barrels beneath the House of Lords, hence the effigies and the bonfires.

Which Sussex town is famous for rolling lit tar barrels through its streets on Bonfire Night?

Its bonfire societies still burn effigies of the pope and topical hate figures every 5 November.

Japan's first fireworks festival was decreed in 1733 on which Tokyo river, to mourn famine victims?

The Sumidagawa festival still runs, and Japan holds more than 200 fireworks festivals in August alone.

In France, fireworks traditionally light up the sky on the eve of which national holiday?

Paris fires its show around the Eiffel Tower to mark the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

Which Indian 'festival of lights' is celebrated with fireworks each October or November?

In the UK, Diwali is one of only four nights when fireworks may legally be set off after 11 pm.

Which principality has hosted an international fireworks competition every summer since 1966?

The winner returns on 18 November to fire the display for the eve of Monaco's National Day.

In Catalonia, what is a 'correfoc'?

The crews of diables carry maces topped with spinning carretilles while drums pound.

Which Catalan Corpus Christi festival in Berga was declared a UNESCO masterpiece of intangible heritage in 2005?

Its devils' dance, Els Plens, has been performed since 1628.

In which European country are consumer fireworks illegal, with up to five years in prison?

Plenty still go off around Halloween, bought easily across the border in Northern Ireland.

In how many US states are consumer fireworks legal?

Rules still vary by county and city, and the CPSC regulates them federally as hazardous substances.

US consumer fireworks sales roughly doubled in which year, to about $2.3 billion?

Cancelled public shows during the pandemic sent people to the fireworks stands instead.

What is the maximum noise level the European Union allows for fireworks sold to the public?

New Zealand goes further, capping consumer fireworks at 90 decibels.

Which Italian town mandated 'silent' fireworks in 2015?

Silent shows drop the big bangs and rely on smaller, quieter effects, mostly out of concern for pets and wildlife.

Fireworks may only be sold in the Netherlands during how many days before New Year?

If one of those days is a Sunday, sales start a day earlier instead.

A study of birds on New Year's Eve found some fly how far non-stop to escape fireworks?

About a thousand times more birds are airborne on New Year's Eve than on an ordinary night.

Fireworks were first used in America to celebrate Independence Day in which year?

That was six years before anyone knew the new nation would survive the war; Washington's 1789 inauguration also had fireworks.

Where in Australia is 'Cracker Night' held every 1 July, with fireworks allowed without a permit?

It marks Territory Day; in most Australian states, backyard fireworks are illegal altogether.

Which chemist discovered in 1786 that potassium chlorate gives a violet flame?

Chlorates of several other metals soon followed, and two light metals later added brilliant silver.

Which country is the world's largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks?

Fireworks were invented there, and Chinese pyrotechnicians were respected for their mastery of complex display techniques.

Why are the colours of firework sparks limited to reds, golds and silvers?

A hot solid glows by black-body radiation, whereas element-specific colours come from metal vapour burning in a flame.

What is a firework 'mine', also known by its French name pot à feu?

Mines are usually 3 to 5 inches across, though 12-inch versions appear on occasion.

How big can the very large 'bouquet' shells frequently used in Japan be?

A bouquet shell scatters smaller shells across the sky before they burst; if they are all alike the effect is called 'Thousands'.

Which Osaka fireworks festival, Japan's largest, fires between 100,000 and 120,000 rounds?

Japan hosts more than 200 hanabi festivals in August alone, with stalls selling yakisoba, takoyaki and goldfish-scooping games.

In New Zealand, fireworks may only be sold to the public during which few days each year?

Sales are timed to Guy Fawkes Day, buyers must be 18, and consumer fireworks cannot exceed 90 decibels, though use itself is unrestricted.

Which type of firework is banned outright for consumers in Norway?

Norwegians must be 18 to buy fireworks, and sales are limited to a few days before New Year's Eve.

Singapore fires fireworks for New Year, Chinese New Year and which other occasion?

Local and foreign teams launch displays on different nights, and the event has been staged as a non-competitive showcase.