When was fire invented? About two million years ago. But it was only recently (not that recent) that fireworks were invented. But who invented crackers? It was an accident.
Around 200 BC in Liuyang, China, the first crackers were simply bamboo thrown in a fire, credited to monk Li Tian.
Who Invented Gunpowder?
To answer the question, we’d have to travel to 800 AD, when an alchemist married saltpetre (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal to birth a flaky black powder. This is now known as gunpowder.
First Modern Fireworks
The first modern fireworks were created in the 7th century during the Tang dynasty. They were created by putting this gunpowder inside bamboo stalks and rolled-up paper, which was later lit.
Sky Fireworks
The invention of aerial shells, which used gunpowder to both launch and explode shells into the air, taught Italian pyrotechnicians how to set firecrackers in the sky.
To produce gold and silver sparks, Italians were the first to add metal fragments to the shells. In the 1700s, they added metal salts to produce more colours.
Shape of A Firework
Fireworks can form specific shapes in the air depending on how the stars are arranged. They are configured on a piece of cardboard.
Colour of a Firework
The colours in a firework are dependent on particular metal salts. Strontium carbonate (red), sodium nitrate (yellow), copper chloride (blue), calcium chloride (orange), and barium chloride (green).
First Shaped Fireworks
The first shaped fireworks were used to greet returning Desert Storm troops in Washington, D.C., in the early 1990s. These fireworks exploded into yellow bows and purple hearts.