Fire and light in the sky

The origins of fireworks can be traced back to 9th century China, when gunpowder was accidently discovered while experimenting with salts to find the elixir of life. What the Chinese had actually unearthed were nitrate salts, and they were possibly surprised to find that these oxidising agents burnt when mixed with fuel in the form of honey. In the course of time the mixtures were improved by the addition of alternative forms of carbon, but not until sulfur was added was a reasonably efficient product produced. By around AD 1044 the chemical make-up of gunpowder had evolved to approximately 60% potassium nitrate, 30% sulfur and 10% charcoal.

It is believed that the Arabs brought news of the material to Europe. Also, Roger Bacon - who gave the first written account of gunpowder and its use in fireworks during the 13th century - possibly gained his knowledge from Arab writings. Around this time, the Chinese started placing the new explosive powder into bamboo tubes, and having sealed the ends, threw them on to a fire so that they 'cracked'. This was to ward off evil spirits, the tubes frequently later being painted red, a characteristic of religious objects and maybe the origin of the word firecracker.