On Canada Day, just after dark, I was surprised by a huge explosion to the west. I was outside and should have been expecting the huge display at a neighborhood park, but it still caught me by surprise.
This is a brief history from a very old edition of the Britannica.
“Throngs of people in holiday mood are usually delighted by the gaudy patterns in darkened skies by the explosion of multicolored fireworks. These same fireworks in a different setting may be an urgent signal of distress at sea, or, more tragic still, the locator of a military target to be fired upon for the purpose of utter destruction. However, it seems that fireworks are more devised to amuse than to help to destroy.
“The origin of pyrotechny (the art of making fireworks) is not definitely known. It is usually ascribed to the Chinese. Their records show that such displays were produced by them many centuries before they appeared in Western nations.
“The Greeks made explosives of some description, to which the name of ‘Greek Fire’ has been given, and the Roman emperors sometimes amused the populace with colored lights and ‘Fire Fountains.’ However, fireworks were not manufactured in European countries to any notable extent until after gunpowder came into use and the science of chemistry had developed.
“A pyrotechnic display is recorded as part of a 16th century pageant, and the Italians picked up the art and elaborated upon it during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, the art of making fireworks came to its full stature and many beautiful and elaborate effects were produced. There were pieces shot into the air to weave their gorgeous colored designs against the sky as a backdrop, and set pieces fastened to patterned fireworks. These latter fireworks–when lit–produce many patterns–waving flags, rushing trains and steamboats, mimic battles between comic characters, and portraits of noted personages.”
There will come a day when we will be able to produce the kind of display that Gandalf did in the trilogy of films based on the work of J. R. R. Tolkien.
We just love to gather to watch the awesome beauty of an aerial display of fireworks. Whether it’s in a park, near water, or even in the comfort of your own backyard, we love to see the night skies lit up in a rainbow of colors. It doesn’t always have to be a huge display, either. Something as innocent as the little red schoolhouse, or even a sparkler, can elicit “Oohs” and “Aahs”. I would imagine there were a lot of those on Canada’s birthday.
It’s the Fourth of July tomorrow. To all our American friends and readers, a very happy celebration. I’m sure you’ll see some spectacular displays when the skies darken.
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Don Jackson
