The Fourth of July means Fireworks History, Physics, and Technology

Bang! The 4th of July means fireworks and here in Seattle we are blessed with two shows. I'll be on a houseboat on Lake Union watching the one with the truly awesome Japanese fireworks. Japanese hanabi shells are spheres rather than the cylinders of American manufacture. For more fireworks linkage--and there is an incredible amount of it on the web--try Terry Dimock's Pyro Page--it's so incredibly comprehensive that, apart from American Fireworks News, The Physics of Coloured Fireworks and and Thinkquest's Fireworks, I won't bore you with any more here. But do remember this--fireworks and pets do not mix.