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Fireworks!
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Program Overview
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NOVA investigates the science and psychology of fireworks.
The program:
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chronicles the first use of fireworks more than 1,000 years ago
by the Chinese, who made firecrackers from gunpowder, and shows
the historical relationship between gunpowder and fireworks over
time.
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traces the allure of fireworks over time, from their beginnings
as a magical marvel used during medieval times—when much
of life was lived in the dark—to their use in Renaissance
royalty gatherings and at public celebrations for masses of
people.
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notes that the three basic ingredients of a
firework—potassium nitrate, charcoal, and
sulfur—have not changed much from when they were first
used.
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profiles Zambelli's Internationale, a pyrotechnic company run by
an Italian-American family with generations of fireworks
experience.
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details how colors, sounds, and shapes are created, and how
experts continually seek to improve their displays.
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describes how a firework is conceived, made, launched, and
exploded.
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portrays the intricate organization of Boston's annual July 4th
display and shows how a computer network controls the launch of
5,700 fireworks at that event.
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introduces Pyro Boy, who straps fireworks to his body to create
a 1-minute human fireworks display.
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reviews safety measures that govern the firework industry.
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