The nation’s Independence Day celebration is here. Two hundred thirty-eight years later, it never gets old to celebrate the birth of the United States of America. Thanks, Thomas Jefferson for framing the significance of the day with your great work! If the actual content of the Declaration of Independence has faded since history class, you can revisit interesting trivia and see the full text here.
Across the country on July 4, communities will light up the night skies with fireworks displays (ironically, a 7th century Chinese invention first used to scare off evil spirits) to delight audiences and send pets scurrying for cover. Both make sense. Firework rockets can reach speeds of 150 mph, create stunning color, shape and light effects – and can wreak havoc on the ears, ringing in at up to 190 dB! In comparison, the room you are sitting in now probably has about 40 dB of ambient noise.
In another bit of fireworks trivia, have you ever experienced chocolate fireworks? Might be worth a quick trip to Zurich. The Swiss city launched the largest chocolate firework on New Year’s Eve in 2002, loaded with 132 pounds of Swiss chocolates. Sort of like an automatic piñata in the sky, chocolate fireworks are part of a two-stage rocket. The first stage bursts open to shower wrapped chocolates over spectators while the second stage continues its climb to culminate in the expected light show. Everyone hopes there are no misfires, lest it rain boiling hot chocolate.
Whether you will join the local throngs to be dazzled or prefer the peace and quiet of home, you will be glad you aren’t writing the check yourself. A community display can cost more than $2,000 per minute. That’s a lot of cash for the flash!
