Fireworks - 4th of July in Las Vegas 2014

We've celebrated Australia Day in Australia and Dia de la Independenica in Colombia and Chile, but there's nothing like the 4th of July in the USA. America certainly does celebrate its independence with a bang. We'll BBQ something on Mary's new grill and plan for an explosive evening.  

Popular belief has it that the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 proclaiming our national sovereignty as a new country, the United States of America, and separating ourselves rather dramatically from Mother England. Actually, the Declaration was signed by 12 of the 13 colonies on July 2nd, but hey, I'm happy to celebrate on the 4th. Our wedding anniversary is July 2nd and I'd hate to share the date with the rest of America.

Back to the topic at hand … fireworks. We love them. We love the explosions of color and the deafening sounds. We love the smell of burning sulphur associated with the sights and sounds and the smoky clouds that permeate the air after a particularly big display. Here in Las Vegas, several of the downtown casinos have displays, but they'll be mobbed and we dislike mobs (except mobs of kangaroos, of course). The casinos tout that their displays are by Grucci of New York and if you look at the Grucci website, it's pretty impressive. They coordinated the world's largest fireworks display in Dubai on New Year's Eve last year at a cost of $6 million. Pretty impressive! And, of course, London claimed the world's first multi-sensory fireworks display on New Year's Eve 2014. How awesome is that … tasting fireworks in the form of peach-flavored snowflakes and banana confetti?

I doubt we'll see the biggest display or taste peach snowflakes, but I still love the chemistry involved. I was wondering exactly what chemistry caused the rainbow of colors. Historically, of course, it was the Chinese who figured all this out back in the 7th century. In fact, China is still the largest manufacturer and exporter of fireworks in the world. Liuyang, Hunan Province is the fireworks capital of the world. CNN labeled it a real “boom-town”. (tsk, tsk) Regarding the colors? Different elements produce different colors when they burn. According to what I read, fireworks makers blend pure elements with gunpowder to create the desired colors. The more of a specific element, the more intense the color. The recipes and combinations are closely guarded secrets. So when you watch the fireworks, you can figure out what elements are being used. It does make for a good chemistry lesson.

•  Red: Lithium, Strontium
• Green: Barium
• Blue: Copper
• Yellow: Sodium
• Orange: Calcium
• Silver Shimmer or Pure White: Aluminum, Magnesium, Titanium
• Purple: Compounded Strontium and Copper 

As for us? We might head to the airport for a less crowded view of the fireworks at Caesar's Palace or maybe head over to Henderson where the Stations Casino is sponsoring a free Grucci fireworks display. Or maybe … we'll stay at home and watch the New York City display on the tube. Not quite the same, but it'll be less crowded, cooler and we can talk chemistry in comfort while sipping our cold beer.

Happy 238th Birthday, America!

4th of July

 

The 4th of July. What a great summer holiday in the US, celebrating our revolutionary spirit with fireworks, cookouts and parades. Boston is called the “cradle of liberty” because so much of that revolutionary spirit was nurtured and demonstrated here. It was on this day in 1776 that our forefathers, regular guys like Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, who hated paying taxes to Mother England (simplified history book version), adopted the Declaration of Independence. George Washington wasn't there … he was getting ready to lead an army. And the rest is history.

David likes reading history. I'm more inclined to get his quick review of a book rather than plodding through the pages and then coax him into visiting places where historical events occurred. You can't beat Boston when it comes to historical places, many of which are associated with the Revolutionary War, the Spirit of 1776 and subsequently, the 4th of July. We visited Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord last summer … walking distance from Boston … for the Minutemen anyway. There's Bunker Hill Monument and the North Bridge, the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, the old North Church.

Typically, the big event in Boston is a concert by the Boston Pops Orchestra punctuated with synchronized fireworks and held on the Boston Esplanade on the banks of the Charles River on the evening of July 3rd. The traditional Boston Pops classic is the 1812 Overture (Hmm...the War of 1812 … yet another war with England...they're certainly persistent buggers) followed by a rousing version of Stars and Stripes forever.

We planned on attending a nearby fireworks display last night, but our energy dissipated before it was dark enough for the pyrotechnic display. We've had rain and thunderstorms for days now and the forecast for more kept us wimps in. So how are we celebrating the 4th? We'll fly the flag and maybe eat hotdogs and hamburgers while we watch The Patriot with Mel Gibson tonight. It's a reasonably good story, but not necessarily the way things happened. Whoever let the truth get in the way of a good story … or Mel Gibson?

We'll sing Yankee Doodle, too. Believe it or not, it's actually a Revolutionary War era song sung by the British soldiers making fun of the poorly armed and attired colonists whom they considered country bumpkins. Hmm … Guess we showed 'em!

Enjoy the 4th!