The Chinese had firework displays back in the 9th century. They used black gunpowder, a mixture of saltpetre, charcoal and sulphur. They fired rockets on very special occasions.
Gunpowder traveled west when European and Arabian diplomats and missionaries began visiting China around this time. Like their Chinese counterparts, Western engineers also developed weapons — this time, muskets and cannons — but continued to develop fireworks, and they became larger and more elaborate.
If you attended a fireworks show in 1600, the science would not have been much different from ancient China, but it was a lot more entertaining! Now used for military victories, religious events, or royal celebrations, aerial fireworks (still plain orange — no color yet!) were run by “firemasters” and their assistants, “green men”. Before the show, the green men, named for the leaves they wore to protect themselves from sparks, would tell jokes to the crowd while they prepared the celebration. Being a green man, however, was a highly dangerous position, and many were injured or killed when their fireworks malfunctioned.
Credit : Smithsonian
Picture Credit : Google
