Fireworks feature in A Boy and his Dog, both the pyrotechnic and the romantic kind. Set on the Fourth of July weekend, the fireworks relate to the plot, and there’s plenty of sparks in the relationship, too. Like many of the new All-American Boy Series, it’s now up for preorder for 99 cents, on Amazon!
Fireworks originated in China, and described as early as 960 BCE. Early fireworks were used for celebrations as well as warfare, and delivered noise, light, and smoke, yet the brilliant colors we know today hadn’t been discovered yet. It wasn’t until 1786 that potassium chlorate was found to produce a violet emission.
Colors in fireworks are generated by pyrotechnic stars, which generate intense light when ignited. They’re comprised of a fuel, an oxidizer (to generate heat to speed the reaction), color-producing salts, and a binder, to hold it all together. Red is produced by strontium or lithium, orange by calcium, yellow by sodium, green by barium, blue from copper, etc.
Shaping the burst’s pattern, as well as the desired noise effect (which can range from bangs, crackles, whistles, and hums), involves complicated physics to design, and precise detonation during a show.
However stunning, fireworks are dangerous, both to manufacture and to ignite, so most municipalities strictly regulate them, for public safety and to control pollutants as well as the risk of fires and the noise nuisance’s effects on both humans and pets.
If you set off fireworks for the fourth, be safe! Or better yet, leave those to the professionals and get your pyrotechnics from Romance novels!
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