Fireworks History The Fourth of July celebration started in 1777 in Philadelphia with speeches, parades, fireworks, and extra rum for the troops--a day of drinking and explosives. Fireworks were invented 3,000 years ago in China and were part of European celebrations by the 1600s. Eighteenth-century fireworks could last for hours, but there were no automatic lighting systems (like those used today), so there was a long wait between blasts. But fireworks are made with explosives and accidents happened. Houses were sometimes set on fire and it was not unusual for people to be killed or wounded at the displays.
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I lived in Mexico in the '70s, and fireworks were a common occurrence, with no supervision or safeguards, as I saw it. One year, they blew the turret off the church. Another time, the fireworks were shooting into the crowd. The town square was so crowded, it took me an agonizing 25 minutes to get home--on the back side of the square. Another time, the town shook with a huge BOOM! Windows were broken. Later that day we found out the fireworks maker had blown himself and his helper to pieces. Nowadays, I watch fireworks from the safety of my bedroom window in the States!
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