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July 3, 2015
Kaboom! 10 Facts About Firecrackers That Will Blow You Away
“Interestingly, firecrackers were reported to have been part of Fourth of July celebrations only after the holiday’s 11th year,” Dotz says. “The norm before then was ‘illuminations’—where people placed candles in their windows—as well as bonfires, bells, musket fire, and loud parades.”
Also, the earliest Fourth of July celebrations involved using explosives to send anvils into the air. According to Firecrackers, “A blacksmith’s anvil was placed on the ground and a bag of gunpowder with a fuse was placed on top of it. Finally, another anvil was placed upside down on top of the bag, the fuse was lit, and everybody scattered. This was to avoid being crushed like a cartoon character, because the top anvil was propelled into the air before returning heavily to the ground. It was said you could hear the sound of a good anvil shoot for miles in all directions.” | Collectors Weekly
Posted by gerardvanderleun at July 3, 2015 10:18 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I served in a war zone. I spent a career in and around noisy airplanes. I hate fireworks. Never saw any use to making a lot of light, noise and smoke unless something useful came out of it.
Posted by: BillH ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://americandigest.org/sidelines/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 4, 2015 6:49 AM
As with everything else in life there is a price to pay. Noise, light and smoke are woven into my freedom. and i celebrate them all as much as i can everyday not knowing how many i have been allowed, or how many are left for me to enjoy. Nor caring if anyone else joins me. Personally i would love to watch the anvil tossing. As we said when we were kids and fired a M-80 under an old paint can. " Blowed up real good "
Posted by: Kelvin at July 4, 2015 7:31 AM
Let us now praise the gentleman who did the first anvil shoot. I like the idea that as soon as they figured out how to get gunpowder over here, they came up with fun, dangerous stuff to do with it.
Posted by: Rich Fader at July 4, 2015 2:32 PM
I've made and deployed all sorts of energetic materials devices: C2, C4, det cord, deta sheet.
What I'd call working stuff. I use Pyrodex for fun.
Posted by: chasmatic at July 4, 2015 11:18 PM