The birthplace of fireworks is generally recognized as China. It is said that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed three common kitchen ingredients - potassium nitrate (or saltpetre), sulphur and charcoal - and lit it. The result was colourful flames. The cook also noticed that if the mixture was burned when enclosed in the hollow of a bamboo shoot, there was a tremendous explosion.
Initially, this new technology was used for entertainment. Slowly the theory took root that this loud sound was perfect to chase away evil spirits and to celebrate weddings, victories in battles, lunar eclipses and religious ceremonies. Once the recipe for black powder was perfected, the Chinese found that it was also easily used as rocket fuel, and in the 6th century they made hand-carved wooden rockets in the shape of dragons. These dragons shot rocket-powered arrows from their mouth, and were used against the Mongol invaders of 1279.
From China, fireworks moved on to the West, through adventurous explorers. Legend has it that Marco Polo brought this new accidental invention to the West from one of his many trips to China and other Eastern countries. Thus the knowledge of making fireworks spread west, through Arabia, in the 7th century. The Arabs called the rockets "Chinese arrows". Fireworks as such probably arrived in Europe in the 14th century, brought back from the Middle East by the Crusaders.
Fireworks rapidly became a very popular form of entertainment. The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of Henry VII in 1486. They became very popular during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and Shakespeare makes reference to them in his works. James II used them to celebrate his coronation, and King Charles V also had a great liking for fireworks, celebrating all his victories with them. Gradually, the royal courts took up fireworks as a favourite way of marking celebrations and festivities.
To further her enjoyment, Queen Elizabeth I created a new position at court: "firemaster of England". James II was so pleased with his coronation display that he knighted his firemaster. Firemasters soon became a much sought-after commodity, and many of them were killed or seriously injured as they entertained others with their dangerous profession.
By the 14th to 15th centuries almost every country had its own version of fireworks. While the Germans used them in battles, the British lit fireworks in celebrations, and the Italians, who were the first to manufacture fireworks in Europe, used them to mark great occasions. During the Renaissance, two European schools of pyrotechnic thought emerged: one in Italy and the other at Nuremberg, Germany. The Italian school of pyrotechnics emphasised elaborate fireworks, and the German school stressed scientific advancement. Both schools added significantly to the further development of pyrotechnics, and by the mid-17th century fireworks were used for entertainment on an unprecedented scale in Europe.
Author: Dr Manaan Kar Ray
Original source: www.twilightbridge.com