FIREWORKS
BOOM! Fireworks are at baseball games, amusement parks, and (of course) Fourth of July celebrations. But did you know that fireworks existed long before the Declaration of Independence? Let’s take an Internet journey together and learn more about how fireworks are made and combined to create those amazing shows.
How are fireworks made?
At http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngkids/0007/fireworks/step1.html you can discover how fireworks are made by mixing different chemical compounds together to create three kinds of results: a tremendous ‘boom’, bright colored light, and heat. Because this is such a dangerous process, the people who make fireworks, called pyrotechnic specialists, must be very, very careful. You can also watch Idaho Public Television’s “Dialouge for Kids” on how fireworks are made (about 28 minutes long; runs in Windows Media Player), at http://www.idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/archive/episodePage.cfm?versionID=12901.
How do they make the fireworks in certain colors?
See http://www.scifun.org/CHEMWEEK/fireworks/fireworks.htm to find that each shell is a precisely formed assembly of chemicals and fuel that is carefully calibrated to produce a particular effect.
Who invented fireworks?
At http://www.idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season6/fireworks/facts.cfm, it says that the Chinese made the first fireworks in the 800s to scare away evil spirits at the New Year. They used green bamboo. Some stories credit the world explorer, Marco Polo, with bringing fireworks technology back to Europe. This site also contains loads of other information, including how to safely handle fireworks.
How many different types of fireworks are there?
Visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fireworks/gall_01.html# where you can test your knowledge on the 18 different styles of fireworks that are used to put on these spectacular shows. You can also learn more about how fireworks shows are made.
How are fireworks show set up and run?
See http://www.wf.net/~lcrump1/images.htm for a photographic walk-through on how pyrotechnic technicians set up and launch a fireworks show.
What was the biggest fireworks show ever in the history of the United States?
According to http://www.grucci.com/, the largest show ever in American history was the celebration of the Statue of Liberty Centennial Fireworks in New York City Harbor on July 4th, 1986.
Want more?
You can have some fun making your own virtual fireworks at http://www.maylin.net/Fireworks.html. In addition, http://www.wf.net/~lcrump1/night.htm will link you to many pictures of fireworks, and http://www.kidsturncentral.com/games/jigsaws/jigsawsfw.htm will keep you busy solving virtual fireworks jigsaw puzzles. Be warned–they’re not as easy as they look!
