# Fireworks and July 4th

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775 "2000-07-06T18:28:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775/1 "2000-07-06T18:28:01Z")

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At what point did Fireworks displays become in intregal part of our July 4th celebrations?

I’m fairly certain that on the day of thre signing of the Declaration of Independance the guys didn’t fire up the sparklers and wave them about festively.

I wonder how this largely Chinese custom came to be part of a celebration of America’s independance.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775/2 "2000-07-06T18:36:48Z")

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Handel’s Royal Fireworks Music was written in 1749, so the concept wasn’t foreign to anyone connected with things British, such as the US Colonies.

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775/3 "2000-07-06T19:15:55Z")

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John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abagail, wrote about Independence Day as follows:

“It should be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, balls, bon-fires, and illumination.”

He got it pretty much on the money, including the “illumination” part.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2000, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fireworks-and-july-4th/24775/4 "2000-07-06T19:54:05Z")

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Adams also thought that we would all be celebrating July 2, instead of July 4.  
Fortunately we settled on the 4th, so there would be less conflict with Canada Day 😉