It’s the Civic Holiday which means that you will likely be seeing fireworks. Keep reading to learn about the timeline and how fireworks are advancing.
Have you ever wondered how long fireworks have been around? How have fireworks evolved over the years? How are they changing now? In this post we will answer all of your questions!
Timeline of Fireworks:
Can you believe that fireworks have been around for 2000 years? Well, modern fireworks were invented in the 1830s, but that’s still a long time!
Below is the timeline of fireworks as we know it.
Firework Tech Advancements:
So, where are fireworks going? How are they improving? What can we expect to see?
Below are 5 major ways we can see fireworks in the future.
1. Silent fireworks
When people think of fireworks, they think of loud booms. But not everyone is interested in the noise. More areas are outlawing the noisy aerial shows to reduce the stress on animals, protect people’s hearing, and follow local ordinances.
In Europe, this has led to quiet firework displays. These shows are designed with existing shells that don’t make as big of a bang. With these fireworks, they would become for child friendly and protect people with PTSD.
It’s only a matter of time before silent fireworks make their way over to North America.
2. Daytime fireworks
Traditionally, fireworks need the dark night sky to really pop. But there have been more requests for fireworks to be created to make displays visible during the day. This means that the colours would be brighter and even add other display options (for example, logos made out of foam bubbles).
3. Bluer blues
For centuries, fireworks remained orange or yellow. Scientists started to add traces of metals to expand the rainbow of the displays. One colour that has always been hard to achieve is a deep blue.
Colours like red, green, and orange are easy to produce. But the copper compound that is used to produce blues is finicky and destroys the colour if the temperature gets too hot.
With more precise temperature control, pyrotechnicians can produce blues more consistently than ever.
4. 3D Choreography
For decades fireworks have been choreographed to music. But, since the turn of the century electronically controlled shows are allowing designers to time the fireworks to the millisecond.
Computer simulations and 3D modeling allows pyrotechnicians to view their shows from several audience perspectives as well as try new ideas out digitally.
5. Word messages
Some companies have achieved short, block like acronyms. But written messages are a pyrotechnic puzzle. The issue comes down to orientation.
Precise electronic controls light up skies in increasingly mind blowing and intricate ways, which is the hope for words shown through fireworks. Some scientists have attempted to weight the shells to limit the tumbling, but there has been limited success. There have been a few companies that have succeeded in the timing to create short words.
Longer words and phrases or lowercase script remain hard to achieve. Technology is being refined. The weight of ballistics can prevent wind from buffeting the glowing point and knocking bits of letters out of their place. This has to be balanced with greater weight limits launch velocity and the placement of the words in the sky.
Have any comments? Feel free to use the section below!
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Sources:
Daley, Jason. (2016). Four Explosive Advancements for Future Fireworks. Retrieved July 25, 2019 from, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-ways-fireworks-are-getting-even-better-180959680/
Stempien, Alexis. (2015) The Evolution of Fireworks. Retrieved July 24, 2019 from, https://ssec.si.edu/stemvisions-blog/evolution-fireworks
Wei-Haas, Maya. (2018). Why You Can’t Write Messages With Fireworks – Yet. Retrieved July 25, 2019 from, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2018/07/news-fourth-july-fireworks-innovation-technology/
