As many families did back in the 1960s, we took a family car trip out west to head to Disneyland. Almost like the Griswalds in "National Lampoon's Vacation" heading on a great migration, the car had no air conditioning and we took grandma along so it was pretty well packed. On that trip, in Cody, Wyoming, to be exact, I encountered my first fireworks stand located right down the street from the motel we settled down at for the evening.
By luck, they were still open as I approached. To a kid from New York, this was better than Valhalla. No longer having to buy the contraband from the bad kids on the third block, it was a dream come true.
Everything was there: Roman candles, bottle rockets, sky rockets, aerial bombs, cherry bombs, M-80s, and huge blocks of firecrackers of every size possible. My money saved from a paper route was going to go to good use! As we approach the Fourth of July this year, I anticipate going to the great show managed by John Ellison with Uncle Gerry in tow. It gives me a thrill to attend the patriotic event with fellow Elkoans and hear everyone cheer and sing, confirming my sentiment that we are a good little city, a model city of the Old West.
In preparation for this awesome show, it might be good to tell about the simple chemistry behind the creations of the bright colors we will see. But first the beginning of it all: gunpowder. The invention of gunpowder happened during the Tang dynasty in China about 800 AD.
During this era, some alchemists lookin.
