America's First Fireworks Were Only One Color — Here's Why

By The Hidden History Project

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This is the hidden history of fireworks — invented by Chinese alchemists who were hunting for the secret to eternal life, and accidentally discovered the most explosive substance on Earth. In 1777, America lit up its first Independence Day sky — and every single firework was orange. Just orange. The story of how we got from there to every color on earth spans two thousand years, five continents, and one alchemist who was trying to live forever. From the accidental discovery of gunpowder in a 9th-century Taoist monastery, to the Song Dynasty's first weapons, to the Mongol armies that carried the technology westward, to the forgotten Italian craftsmen who first gave the night sky its color — this is the story of fireworks In this episode: The accidental discovery that changed the world (and it had nothing to do with celebrating) How the Mongol conquests became the greatest technology transfer in medieval history The Islamic world's role in refining gunpowder — decades before Euro

Tags: fireworks, american history, history of gunpowder, history documentary, ancient history, July 4th history, independence day, fourth of july, ancient china, gunpowder, world history, military history, 4th of july fireworks, hidden history, fireworks history, history of fireworks, fireworks origin, fireworks science, Song Dynasty history, Mongol Empire history