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VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS |
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A campaign to stop the anti-social practice of fireworks traumatizing people and animals of the Hibiscus Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
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For hundreds of years, even before Francis Scott Key wrote of seeing "the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air," people have been awed by the bright lights and big noise of fireworks. The ancient Chinese used fireworks at festivities and to frighten enemies in battle. Captain John Smith set them off in Jamestown in 1608, enjoying a bit of English popular entertainment and impressing Native Americans. Smoky Origins Legend has it that the Chinese made the first fireworks in the 800s, filling bamboo shoots with gunpowder and exploding them at the New Year with the hope that the sound would scare away evil spirits. According to tradition, Marco Polo brought this technology back to Europe. It's fair to say, however, that the origins of fireworks are shrouded in smoke; the China story is widespread, and possibly true, but fireworks may in fact have developed in India or the Arab world. Fireworks became known in Europe during the 1300s, probably after returning Crusaders brought them from the East. By the 1400s Florence, Italy, was the center of fireworks manufacturing. At this time fireworks were just one effect in a celebration rather than its focus. At religious festivals Italians made plaster figures that spewed fireworks from their eyes and mouths. The 1533 coronation parade for Anne Boleyn included a papier-mache dragon that belched fire. During the 1700s displays became more elaborate and were popular with European royalty. French King Louis XV ordered extravagant displays of fireworks at Versailles, and Russian Czar Peter the Great put on a five-hour show after the birth of his son. Meanwhile, in the American colonies settlers used fireworks to mark happy occasions. Today fireworks are a key part of celebrating Independence Day in the United States, Guy Fawkes' Day in the United Kingdom, Bastille Day in France, and Diwali and New Year festivities around the world. Color by Fire
Early
fireworks were enjoyed more for the sound than the show - in its
simplest forms gunpowder explodes quickly, leaving a terrific bang
but not much to see other than a rather brief golden glow. Over time
people discovered that using chemical compounds with greater amounts
of oxygen made the explosives burn brighter and longer. DIY Fireworks Armed with this knowledge, some aficionados enjoy trying to create their own fireworks. But these creations are even more dangerous and unpredictable than legal fireworks. Because homemade fireworks are often made from parts of other fireworks, they can contain deadly amounts of explosive powders. In 1999 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 8,500 fireworks-related emergency-room visits - about two-thirds of these in July. And there's no tally of the countless blistered hands, traumatized pets, singed shrubs, and melted G.I. Joe dolls. Experts recommend leaving the fireworks spectacle to the professionals and limiting your flame-tending interests to the barbecue. |
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An etching of the 'Royal Fireworks' display on the Thames in 1749. |
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The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House illuminated under New Year's Eve Fireworks in 2005 |
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