semiquincentennial<\/a> and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.<\/p>\nThe showcase will feature the origins of fireworks and the science behind them\u2014from the way they are made, designed, and tested, to how they are ultimately launched into the sky. Essentially, instead of just watching the sky light up, visitors will get an up-close look at how these explosive displays came to be, tracing their origins across the globe before zeroing in on their journey in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe long and global history of fireworks isn\u2019t told chronologically in this exhibition, but rather through the different elements of putting on a fireworks show,\u201d says exhibition co-curator Jesse Smith. \u201cFireworks are chemistry, they are art, they are a craft. There are amateur enthusiasts, professionals, and hobbyists. We touch on all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibition will open with a party on April 10 (which is open to the public). From 5 to 8 p.m., the event will feature a curator\u2019s talk, a look at the inside of a firework, pyrotechnic-themed objects from their collections, hands-on activities, refreshments and much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat makes this exciting is the combination of familiar and unfamiliar. Pyrotechnics are technologies that not only produce spectacular effects, but also provoke big feelings\u2014awe, grandeur, terror, patriotism, unity, delight. Even though a 17th-century royal fireworks spectacle might not at all resemble what we see on the 4th of July, the differences and similarities are illuminating,\u201d says exhibition co-curator Nadia Berenstein, a historian of science and former Institute fellow.<\/p>\n
The \u201cMaking Fireworks\u201d section will examine how 19th-century Italian immigrants brought their pyrotechnic expertise\u2014shaped by Roman Catholic celebrations\u2014to states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and Maryland, building a family-driven craft that has been passed down for generations.<\/p>\n
\u201cDesigning Fireworks\u201d explores how pyrotechnics once served as a form of theatrical storytelling, featuring elaborate papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 structures and floating displays enhanced with carefully placed effects. And \u201cTesting Fireworks\u201d looks at how, in the early 20th century, growing concerns led many U.S. communities to restrict personal firework use, with rules varying widely by location. In response, the industry helped establish the American Fireworks Safety Laboratory (AFSL), which created and enforced national guidelines.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also \u201cSelling Fireworks\u201d and \u201cLaunching Fireworks.\u201d The former will showcase a selection of printing plates, catalogs, and sales booklets that reveal the commercial side of the fireworks industry, showcasing how their effects are marketed and described. And with the latter, visitors can check out different historic equipment like a 1970s \u201chome run\u201d box and detonator used at baseball games, alongside modern technology that delivers bigger, more synchronized bursts of light and sound.<\/p>\n
‘Flash! Bang! Boom! A History of Fireworks’ will open April 10 at the Science History Institute (315 Chestnut St.). For more information, visit sciencehistory.org\/fireworks<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Science History Institute is unveiling an exhibition this year that aims to be a total blast. \u2018Flash!…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9860,69,71,70,9880],"class_list":["post-150583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-fireworks","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news","tag-semiquincentennial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}