APM Studios
April 30, 2025
OOO, AHHHH! The history of fireworks
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RSSFireworks dazzle us on special holidays, at flashy concerts and during some big public events (National Mr. Potatohead Day anyone?). But did you know people have been using fireworks to celebrate for centuries?
This week Joy and cohost Elliott learn about how firecrackers started with exploding bamboo in ancient China and how a couple of monks accidentally invented gunpowder. All this, plus an explosive new round of First Things First.
Featured Experts:
Dr. Haiwang Yuan is a writer, translator, and retired professor of Western Kentucky University who specializes in Chinese history, culture and language.
Audio Transcript
Download transcript (PDF)
JOY DOLO: Hip hip hooray. It's National Bubble Tea Day.
[SLURPING]
Ah. I love bubble tea.
ELLIOTT: Uh, Joy?
JOY DOLO: Oh, hi, Elliott. You're my first guest.
ELLIOTT: Guest? For what?
JOY DOLO: I'm having a party to celebrate the best day of the year. April 30.
ELLIOTT: Is it your birthday?
JOY DOLO: No, silly. It's National Bubble Tea Day. Here, have some boba.
ELLIOTT: Awesome. Thanks. [SLURPS] Mhm. It's mango.
JOY DOLO: Mhm. It's also International Guide Dog Day, so I thought we could draw pictures of our favorite pooches together.
ELLIOTT: Oh, fun.
JOY DOLO: And it's Hairstylist Appreciation Day. Speaking of, do you like my new goddess braids? I did them myself.
ELLIOTT: Uh-huh.
JOY DOLO: Let's hear some more hairstylist appreciation, Elliott.
ELLIOTT: Oh, sorry. I love your goddess braids, Joy. You did such a great job. They're gorgeous.
JOY DOLO: Oh, thank you. I also set up a hairstyle station for everyone at the party so we can braid our hair while drawing pooches and drinking bubble tea.
ELLIOTT: Wow, I didn't know there were so many things to celebrate on April 30.
JOY DOLO: I know. Now, the only thing this party is missing is a grand finale. Oh, I love April 30. And I want this party to feel special and colorful and dramatic, like me-uh.
ELLIOTT: Why don't we watch the fireworks show?
JOY DOLO: There's a fireworks show?
ELLIOTT: Yeah. Didn't you hear? It's also International Jazz Day, so they're putting on a jazz concert and setting off fireworks. The band's practicing outside.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: Perfect. Ooh. I should petition to make April 30 International Fireworks Day too.
ELLIOTT: Maybe give another day a chance?
JOY DOLO: No, it's got to be April 30. I'll firework it out. [LAUGHS] Firework.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm Joy Dolo, here with my bud, Elliott.
ELLIOTT: Hey.
JOY DOLO: And this is Forever Ago from APM Studios. We're a nonprofit public radio program.
ELLIOTT: That means you keep us going.
JOY DOLO: You can do that by joining Smarty Pass, donating, or buying a pencil case with my face on it.
ELLIOTT: Head over to foreverago.org to show your support. Thanks.
JOY DOLO: Now today Elliott and I are celebrating April 30.
ELLIOTT: Which is when a ton of different national and international holidays happen. Apparently.
JOY DOLO: And to help us celebrate, we're exploring the history of one of the most celebratorious inventions of all time-- fireworks. Those beautiful bursts of color and light that sound like--
[FIREWORK WHISTLES, POPS]
ELLIOTT: You've probably seen them on July 4th if you're in the US or maybe on New Year's.
JOY DOLO: Or on National Mr. Potato Head Day, which is today. Oh my gosh, could it be? Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?
MR. POTATO HEAD: Hello, hello.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: Hi there.
JOY DOLO: Thanks for coming to my April 30 party. Please help yourself to some boba tea.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: Oh, don't mind if I do.
MR. POTATO HEAD: Thank you, Joy. Mhm. Yum, yum.
JOY DOLO: So, fireworks. Elliott, what do you love about fireworks?
ELLIOTT: That they're colorful, and they're just explosive. Well, not the explosive part, but the explosions are nice to watch.
JOY DOLO: When they go boom?
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: Do you have any favorite types of fireworks?
ELLIOTT: I like the ones that spew out the little sparks. Those ones are fun.
JOY DOLO: Oh, the ones that kind go like-- [MOCKS FIREWORK SOUND] and they make that kind of-- [MOCKS FIREWORK SOUND] sound.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: Is there a certain color that you like?
ELLIOTT: Green is nice.
JOY DOLO: Green is nice. Have you ever seen it when they do like green and white and pink and all the colors at the same time?
ELLIOTT: Maybe once.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, those are special, special occasions like Mr. Potato Head Day. If you could design a firework that does anything you want, what would it be like?
ELLIOTT: I think it would shoot flowers or something.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Do you it would be like flower sparkles or like real flowers, petals, stems?
ELLIOTT: Maybe the design.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah.
ELLIOTT: Like a really complex design.
JOY DOLO: Very cool. A flower firework? OK. And if you could invent any kind of holiday, what would it be?
ELLIOTT: Make Tacos Out of Ice Cream Day?
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHING]
Make tacos out of ice cream?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Could you tell me more about this special holiday? [LAUGHS]
ELLIOTT: Well, you have your tortilla or like a hard shell taco shell. And then you take a scoop of ice cream, and you put it in. And then you put a bunch of toppings.
JOY DOLO: Would you still do tomato and lettuce, or are we talking sprinkles?
ELLIOTT: You could put on whatever you wanted.
JOY DOLO: Oh, I love this holiday already. I'm going to put Pop Tarts on mine. [LAUGHS] I love a Pop Tart. Everybody knows it. [LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Fireworks are used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like National Raisin Day.
ELLIOTT: It's National Raisin Day, too?
JOY DOLO: Yes. Care for some ants on a log? Or a handful of golden raisins fresh from the box?
[RATTLING]
Delicious.
ELLIOTT: Maybe later. Right now, let's talk about where fireworks came from and who invented them.
JOY DOLO: OK. More raisins for me. Our story starts in ancient China around 2000 years ago.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELLIOTT: People in ancient China did a really good job writing down their history. So we know a lot about them.
JOY DOLO: We know that Chinese society was deeply divided between the rich and the poor.
ELLIOTT: Poor farmers mostly lived in the countryside and grew grains like millet or rice.
JOY DOLO: Wealthy merchants and government officials often lived in cities, wore colorful silk clothes, and listened to beautiful music at banquets and rituals.
ELLIOTT: And pretty much everyone, rich and poor, male and female, had long hair. Hair was believed to be a gift from your ancestors, so barely anyone got a haircut.
JOY DOLO: Around this time, the ancient Chinese also invented the first firecrackers. Firecrackers are different from the fireworks we see in the sky because they don't fly up into the air or make big colorful explosions.
ELLIOTT: They explode closer to the ground and make a loud sound like this.
[POP]
JOY DOLO: These ancient firecrackers were made using only two things-- fire and bamboo. Bamboo is a plant. It grows straight up toward the sky like grass.
ELLIOTT: Bamboo shoots are very hard and hollow inside like a tube. Bamboo grows all over China.
JOY DOLO: The ancient Chinese people realized that when it burns, bamboo makes a loud popping sound. The air inside the bamboo heats up and explodes the hard shoot of the plant.
ELLIOTT: So people threw bamboo shoots into fire to protect themselves from wild animals.
JOY DOLO: Some people also believed in evil spirits and used bamboo firecrackers to scare them off.
MAN: How much longer do we have to travel before we get to this city?
WOMAN 1: Oh, I don't know.
[BRANCH SNAPS]
Did you hear that?
MAN: Maybe it's a tiger.
WOMAN 1: Or a wild boar.
MAN: Or the evil spirit of my Great Aunt Feiyan coming to haunt us.
WOMAN 1: Yikes! Throw a bamboo shoot on the fire to scare it away.
[POP]
ELLIOTT: And today, the Chinese word for firecrackers is actually exploding bamboo.
JOY DOLO: What? No way.
ELLIOTT: Yes way. I have proof.
HAIWANG YUAN: The word for firecracker has two syllables, two sounds in Chinese. [CHINESE] means burst or explode. [CHINESE] means bamboo, so bursting bamboo. That's [CHINESE] or firecracker.
JOY DOLO: That's Dr. Haiwang Yuan.
ELLIOTT: He's a writer, translator, and retired professor. And he knows a lot about the history of firecrackers and fireworks.
JOY DOLO: Dr. Yuan told us an amazing legend about ancient bamboo firecrackers, which also happens to be the origin story of the Chinese New Year, my second favorite day of the year after Dia de los Niños. Speaking of.
KID 1: Hello.
KID 2: Hi.
KID 3: Hello.
JOY DOLO: Hey. It's all the kids I invited for Dia de los Niños a.k.a. Children's Day a.k.a. also April 30. Come on in, guys. Elliott and I are recording an episode about the history of fireworks. Help yourself to raisins and boba or watch some Bugs Bunny cartoons, cause it's National Bugs Bunny Day too.
KID 2: What's up, doc? Cool.
KID 3: Thanks, Joy.
KID 1: I love boba.
JOY DOLO: Now, the Chinese New Year happens at the beginning of spring in China.
ELLIOTT: So it's sometimes called the Spring Festival.
JOY DOLO: And firecrackers and fireworks are a big part of the Chinese New Year.
ELLIOTT: According to legend, the tradition of exploding firecrackers and fireworks on the new year all started with a monster called the nian.
JOY DOLO: Dr. Yuan told us the story.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
HAIWANG YUAN: A long time ago, people believed that a terrible beast known as or called nian, with sharp teeth, big eyes, and a loud roar would come down into the village from the mountain to attack the villagers.
[MONSTER GROWLS]
ELLIOTT: And each spring, the villagers lived in fear of the terrible monster.
JOY DOLO: Until one day--
HAIWANG YUAN: --there came an old man, a white-bearded, white-haired old man. He was actually a god from heaven. He came to the village and tell the villagers, hey, I know how to conquer, fight this nian beast.
[CROWD GASPS]
It fears three things. One is the red color, one is a loud noise, and one is the bright light.
JOY DOLO: That old man who was actually a god told the villagers how to scare off the beast. Every spring, he said, when the new year begins, make everything red. Put red paper on the walls of your home and dress in red clothing.
ELLIOTT: Next, make loud noises by burning bamboo firecrackers and playing loud drums.
JOY DOLO: And finally, light candles, lanterns, and fires and keep them burning all night.
ELLIOTT: The villagers followed his advice. And it worked.
JOY DOLO: The beast left them alone.
ELLIOTT: And people in China still do these things.
HAIWANG YUAN: Even today, by the way, during the Chinese Eve, the Chinese are not supposed to go to sleep to turn off the lights. And also each of them wear-- especially the children-- wear red clothes. And people today set off firecrackers on New Year's Day.
JOY DOLO: So that's how firecrackers became part of the Chinese New Year celebration.
ELLIOTT: But what about the fireworks we see today? You know, the ones that shoot up in the sky? They are a lot bigger and brighter than bamboo shoot firecrackers.
JOY DOLO: Excellent question. And we're going to answer it in a bit. But first, Elliott, why don't you and I play a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING] First Things First
This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. Since we're talking about celebrations like the Chinese New Year, let's talk about other things we use to celebrate. Glow sticks, party balloons, and bubbles. Elliott, what do you think came first, which came second, and which came most recently in history?
ELLIOTT: I feel like party balloons because those are rubber. But I could be totally wrong.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, yeah.
ELLIOTT: Second, glow sticks. And then bubbles.
JOY DOLO: And then bubbles. OK. I like the idea of rubber being first. I mean, that's an old material, right?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: So maybe that could have been the first one. And then also when you think of oldie time stuff like birthday parties, didn't they have balloons there too?
ELLIOTT: I don't know.
JOY DOLO: That's my logic, I don't know. We're out on this ship together, Elliott. We're just trying to get to shore. [LAUGHS] OK. And then second is glow sticks. Why do you think glow sticks came after balloons?
ELLIOTT: Because usually when the newer thing-- you think the newer thing would come last. But it never does.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] Yeah. So that's just like a strategy right there.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: OK. And then, finally, bubbles. Is there a reason that you think bubbles is most recent?
ELLIOTT: Because there wasn't another place to put it.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] I bet you're really good at chess and games, aren't you?
ELLIOTT: I'm OK at chess.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. You got good strategy. OK, so just to round off here, we have party balloons and then glow sticks and then bubbles. Is that your final answer?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. All right. We'll hear the answers at the end of the episode, right after the credits.
ELLIOTT: So stick around.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: We're working on an episode all about the Girl Scouts, an organization that brings girls together to help their community build practical skills and have fun. They also earn badges for their accomplishments, which got us wondering-- if you could give your best friend, sibling, parent, or someone else a badge for something they do, who would you give it to, what would it be, and why? So, Elliott, what about you?
ELLIOTT: I think I give my mom a badge for being a great chef.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Great chef. What kind of stuff does she make?
ELLIOTT: Earlier, she made this really good shrimp curry. It was delicious.
JOY DOLO: Oh. That sounds so good. Listeners, we want to hear from you, too. Record yourself and send it to us at foreverago.org/contact.
ELLIOTT: You can also send us questions and fan art.
JOY DOLO: Yes. Like a painting of the most exciting fireworks display you've ever seen or a drawing of Mr Potato Head or maybe even raisin art.
ELLIOTT: And keep listening.
NARRATOR: Brains On! Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Forever Ago, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore.
[AIRCRAFT ROARING]
ALIEN: It's alien exercise hour. Hi-yah, hoo, ha! While I stretch my snoodles and bounce on my trampoline, I'll listen to a new podcast. [LAUGHS]
[BUZZER]
I'm going to try Brains On, the best science podcast ever.
[ELECTRONIC SOUND]
WOMAN 2: It's starting. Yay.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
HOST: Hello and welcome to Pop Planet, the only show that gets you up close and personal with space. I'm your host star--
[BEEPS]
ALIEN: Zorp. Come back here, podcast.
[BEEPING]
Must listen to Brains On now.
NARRATOR: Listen to Brains On wherever you get your podcasts.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Joy.
ELLIOTT: And I'm Elliott.
JOY DOLO: And we're talking about the explosive history of fireworks. We're going to see an amazing fireworks display tonight in honor of International Jazz Day, Bugs Bunny Day, Dia de los Niños, National Bubble Tea Day, International Guide Dog Day, National Raisin Day, National Mr. Potato Head Day. What am I forgetting?
ELLIOTT: I think that's all of them.
JOY DOLO: Wait, I forgot it's also National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day. Oh, I should go adopt more shelter pets right now.
ELLIOTT: Maybe we finish this episode first, Joy? We just heard how the earliest firecrackers were made from bamboo.
JOY DOLO: Right. And that people have celebrated the Chinese New Year with firecrackers for centuries.
ELLIOTT: But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo. They don't just pop near the ground. They soar into the sky and burst into colors.
[FIREWORK WHISTLES, POPS]
JOY DOLO: That's because they're made using gunpowder. The Chinese also invented gunpowder.
ELLIOTT: By mistake.
JOY DOLO: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Around 1,400 years ago, there were many religions flowering in China, including Taoism, which is still practiced today.
ELLIOTT: Taoist religion is about harmony and balance. And many Taoists believed in immortality, which means to live forever.
JOY DOLO: Taoist monks, or the people who kept the Taoist traditions alive, spent a lot of time doing something called alchemy.
ELLIOTT: Alchemy is like chemistry.
JOY DOLO: You combine different ingredients, heat them up, and try to create something valuable like gold, a potion, or precious stones.
ELLIOTT: Taoist monks most likely tried to make potions for eternal life.
JOY DOLO: These potions were especially popular with Chinese emperors and other monks who wanted to live forever.
ELLIOTT: One day, some monks were mixing together a few different ingredients.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
MONK 1: How about some charcoal and--
MONK 2: Potassium nitrate and--
MONK 1: Sulfur.
JOY DOLO: When they accidentally invented gunpowder.
[GUNPOWDER POPS]
MONK 1: Somehow I don't think we should eat that.
MONK 2: [COUGHS] That stuff's not going to help me live forever. It's going to do the opposite.
MONK 1: Yeah, but let's make it again.
[GUNPOWDER POPS]
ELLIOTT: The monks experimented some more. Soon, they had a recipe for gunpowder.
JOY DOLO: It made a much louder sound than the bamboo firecrackers.
ELLIOTT: So they stuffed bamboo shoots and paper packets with gunpowder, lit them on fire, and kablooey.
JOY DOLO: Not long afterwards, the Chinese figured out how to make fireworks shoot up into the air and create little orange flares in the sky.
ELLIOTT: Like the fireworks we see today.
JOY DOLO: Speaking of which, it's almost time to go watch the big show. I can't wait. I love fireworks.
KID 2: Yeah.
KID 3: Yeah, me too.
KID 2: Me too.
MR. POTATO HEAD: You know, as a giant potato head, I am not a fan. Fireworks are so loud, they make me want to take my ears off.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: And they're so smoky. Makes me feel like an old fried potato. [LAUGHS]
JOY DOLO: I get it, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Fireworks aren't everyone's cup of bubble tea. My dog gets kind of nervous when he hears the loud bangs fireworks make, too.
MR. POTATO HEAD: I wish there was a less noisy version of them.
JOY DOLO: There is. And it uses drones, little robot helicopters operated by remote control.
ELLIOTT: Oh, yeah. Drone shows are awesome.
JOY DOLO: They put lights on a bunch of drones and make them dance together like synchronized swimmers to create images in the sky.
ELLIOTT: They can make almost any image you want. Bugs Bunny, boba tea.
JOY DOLO: They can even spell out, "April 30th rocks." And actually, China makes more drones than any other country in the world. Most drones are made in a city called Shenzhen. In 2024, the city hosted a drone spectacular with over 10,000 drones synchronized together.
ELLIOTT: Oh, yeah, I've read about that in the Guinness Book of World Records.
[FIREWORKS EXPLODING]
JOY DOLO: The fireworks are starting.
[CHEERING]
MR. POTATO HEAD: Wow.
ELLIOTT: Wow!
MR. POTATO HEAD: Wowzers!
KID 2: Wow. Yeah.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: Fireworks are colorful, loud explosives used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like the Chinese New Year.
ELLIOTT: The earliest form of fireworks were exploding bamboo firecrackers.
JOY DOLO: But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo. They're made of gunpowder.
ELLIOTT: Which Chinese Taoist monks invented by mistake. They were trying to create a potion of eternal life.
JOY DOLO: We still use gunpowder in the firecrackers and fireworks we know and love today.
ELLIOTT: And if you don't love how loud and smoky fireworks are, drone fireworks are a cool way to celebrate.
JOY DOLO: This episode was written by--
ROSE DUPONT: Rose Dupont.
JOY DOLO: It was produced by--
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
JOY DOLO: And--
NICO GONZALEZ WISLER: Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
JOY DOLO: Our editors are--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
JOY DOLO: And--
SHAHLA FARZAN: Shahla Farzan.
JOY DOLO: Fact checking by--
REBECCA RAND: Rebecca Rand.
JOY DOLO: Engineering help from Alex Allinson and Jess Berg, with sound design by--
RACHEL BREEZE: Rachel Breeze.
JOY DOLO: Original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
JOY DOLO: We had additional production help from the rest of the Brains On! Universe team.
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly Bloom.
ANNA GOLDFIELD: Anna Goldfield.
LAUREN HUMBERT: Lauren Humbert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
ANNA WEGEL: Anna Weggel.
JOY DOLO: And--
ARON WOLDESELASSIE: Aron Woldeselassie.
JOY DOLO: Beth Perlman is our executive producer. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Dr. Haiwang Yuan, Brant Miller, [? Aron ?] O'Malley, Joe [? Goetz, ?] and Kim Parker. And Kim Parker's shrimp curry.
ELLIOTT: And if you want access to ad-free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our Smarty Pass.
JOY DOLO: OK, Elliott, are you ready to hear the answers for First Things First?
ELLIOTT: Yes, I am.
JOY DOLO: OK, so as a reminder, we're putting these three items in order. And this was your order. Number one was party balloons. Number two was glow sticks. And number three was bubbles. Right?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Yes. All right, here we go. The answers to First Things First. And the first thing is bubbles.
ELLIOTT: Dang it.
JOY DOLO: Bubbles. Yeah. [LAUGHS] That's what I did not see that coming. Bubbles was first. And the first bubbles was invented in the 1600s. So soap bubbles have been around since ancient times, which I didn't know. Maybe I should listen to this soap episode again.
But we know for certain that kids have played with soap bubbles for at least 400 years, since the 1600s. We know this because there are European paintings from that time that show kids blowing bubbles with clay pipes. Blowing bubbles for fun took off in the United States when a company called Chemtoy started selling bubble solution in 1940. Whoa. Could you imagine blowing bubbles with a clay pipe?
ELLIOTT: No. Do you think it would taste really dusty?
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] I bet. And chalky.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: But the next one. So we had bubbles first, and then second was party balloons. So party balloons were invented in 1824. And a chemist and physicist, Michael Faraday, invented the rubber balloon. They were designed to be used in science experiments, but by the late 1800s, people were partying with them. Those were the birthday parties I was talking about.
ELLIOTT: Oh.
JOY DOLO: I knew they had them. I knew they had birthday party balloons back then. I knew it. Americans invented the first sausage balloons in 1912. The sausage balloon like link. I'm assuming like sausage links.
ELLIOTT: Or like the clown ones.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, like the ones clown use to get to twist up and make horses and stuff.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: And people started twisting them into cool shapes like horses in the 1930s and '40s. Balloon poodle, anyone? OK, so it could be a poodle or a horse. Which one do you usually go for?
ELLIOTT: A poodle.
JOY DOLO: A poodle. Poodle. I'll go with poodle too, a green poodle. So that means last but not least was glow sticks. And that was invented in 1962. So organic chemist Edwin Chandross discovered the chemical reaction needed to make glow sticks in 1962. He discovered that when you mix hydrogen peroxide with another chemical called oxalate ester, you get a substance that glows.
You add some dye to the mix, and you can make glow sticks, turn different colors. And don't worry, the liquid in glow sticks is generally nontoxic. But if your glow stick breaks, you still shouldn't swallow it. I wish I would have known that a week ago. [LAUGHS] Were you surprised by any of these answers? Bubbles, 1600s. Party balloons, 1824.
ELLIOTT: Bubbles, I did not expect.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either. I also think the balloons are pretty cool. I didn't realize that they were going back that far. 1824?
ELLIOTT: I guess it would make sense if they were for science.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. For science. Well, you did a great job, Elliott. Great guesses. Join us in two weeks for a new episode all about maple syrup.
ELLIOTT: Ooh, maple syrup.
JOY DOLO: Yummy.
ELLIOTT: Thanks for listening.
[SLURPING]
Ah. I love bubble tea.
ELLIOTT: Uh, Joy?
JOY DOLO: Oh, hi, Elliott. You're my first guest.
ELLIOTT: Guest? For what?
JOY DOLO: I'm having a party to celebrate the best day of the year. April 30.
ELLIOTT: Is it your birthday?
JOY DOLO: No, silly. It's National Bubble Tea Day. Here, have some boba.
ELLIOTT: Awesome. Thanks. [SLURPS] Mhm. It's mango.
JOY DOLO: Mhm. It's also International Guide Dog Day, so I thought we could draw pictures of our favorite pooches together.
ELLIOTT: Oh, fun.
JOY DOLO: And it's Hairstylist Appreciation Day. Speaking of, do you like my new goddess braids? I did them myself.
ELLIOTT: Uh-huh.
JOY DOLO: Let's hear some more hairstylist appreciation, Elliott.
ELLIOTT: Oh, sorry. I love your goddess braids, Joy. You did such a great job. They're gorgeous.
JOY DOLO: Oh, thank you. I also set up a hairstyle station for everyone at the party so we can braid our hair while drawing pooches and drinking bubble tea.
ELLIOTT: Wow, I didn't know there were so many things to celebrate on April 30.
JOY DOLO: I know. Now, the only thing this party is missing is a grand finale. Oh, I love April 30. And I want this party to feel special and colorful and dramatic, like me-uh.
ELLIOTT: Why don't we watch the fireworks show?
JOY DOLO: There's a fireworks show?
ELLIOTT: Yeah. Didn't you hear? It's also International Jazz Day, so they're putting on a jazz concert and setting off fireworks. The band's practicing outside.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: Perfect. Ooh. I should petition to make April 30 International Fireworks Day too.
ELLIOTT: Maybe give another day a chance?
JOY DOLO: No, it's got to be April 30. I'll firework it out. [LAUGHS] Firework.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I'm Joy Dolo, here with my bud, Elliott.
ELLIOTT: Hey.
JOY DOLO: And this is Forever Ago from APM Studios. We're a nonprofit public radio program.
ELLIOTT: That means you keep us going.
JOY DOLO: You can do that by joining Smarty Pass, donating, or buying a pencil case with my face on it.
ELLIOTT: Head over to foreverago.org to show your support. Thanks.
JOY DOLO: Now today Elliott and I are celebrating April 30.
ELLIOTT: Which is when a ton of different national and international holidays happen. Apparently.
JOY DOLO: And to help us celebrate, we're exploring the history of one of the most celebratorious inventions of all time-- fireworks. Those beautiful bursts of color and light that sound like--
[FIREWORK WHISTLES, POPS]
ELLIOTT: You've probably seen them on July 4th if you're in the US or maybe on New Year's.
JOY DOLO: Or on National Mr. Potato Head Day, which is today. Oh my gosh, could it be? Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?
MR. POTATO HEAD: Hello, hello.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: Hi there.
JOY DOLO: Thanks for coming to my April 30 party. Please help yourself to some boba tea.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: Oh, don't mind if I do.
MR. POTATO HEAD: Thank you, Joy. Mhm. Yum, yum.
JOY DOLO: So, fireworks. Elliott, what do you love about fireworks?
ELLIOTT: That they're colorful, and they're just explosive. Well, not the explosive part, but the explosions are nice to watch.
JOY DOLO: When they go boom?
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: Do you have any favorite types of fireworks?
ELLIOTT: I like the ones that spew out the little sparks. Those ones are fun.
JOY DOLO: Oh, the ones that kind go like-- [MOCKS FIREWORK SOUND] and they make that kind of-- [MOCKS FIREWORK SOUND] sound.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: Is there a certain color that you like?
ELLIOTT: Green is nice.
JOY DOLO: Green is nice. Have you ever seen it when they do like green and white and pink and all the colors at the same time?
ELLIOTT: Maybe once.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, those are special, special occasions like Mr. Potato Head Day. If you could design a firework that does anything you want, what would it be like?
ELLIOTT: I think it would shoot flowers or something.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Do you it would be like flower sparkles or like real flowers, petals, stems?
ELLIOTT: Maybe the design.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah.
ELLIOTT: Like a really complex design.
JOY DOLO: Very cool. A flower firework? OK. And if you could invent any kind of holiday, what would it be?
ELLIOTT: Make Tacos Out of Ice Cream Day?
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHING]
Make tacos out of ice cream?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Could you tell me more about this special holiday? [LAUGHS]
ELLIOTT: Well, you have your tortilla or like a hard shell taco shell. And then you take a scoop of ice cream, and you put it in. And then you put a bunch of toppings.
JOY DOLO: Would you still do tomato and lettuce, or are we talking sprinkles?
ELLIOTT: You could put on whatever you wanted.
JOY DOLO: Oh, I love this holiday already. I'm going to put Pop Tarts on mine. [LAUGHS] I love a Pop Tart. Everybody knows it. [LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Fireworks are used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like National Raisin Day.
ELLIOTT: It's National Raisin Day, too?
JOY DOLO: Yes. Care for some ants on a log? Or a handful of golden raisins fresh from the box?
[RATTLING]
Delicious.
ELLIOTT: Maybe later. Right now, let's talk about where fireworks came from and who invented them.
JOY DOLO: OK. More raisins for me. Our story starts in ancient China around 2000 years ago.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
ELLIOTT: People in ancient China did a really good job writing down their history. So we know a lot about them.
JOY DOLO: We know that Chinese society was deeply divided between the rich and the poor.
ELLIOTT: Poor farmers mostly lived in the countryside and grew grains like millet or rice.
JOY DOLO: Wealthy merchants and government officials often lived in cities, wore colorful silk clothes, and listened to beautiful music at banquets and rituals.
ELLIOTT: And pretty much everyone, rich and poor, male and female, had long hair. Hair was believed to be a gift from your ancestors, so barely anyone got a haircut.
JOY DOLO: Around this time, the ancient Chinese also invented the first firecrackers. Firecrackers are different from the fireworks we see in the sky because they don't fly up into the air or make big colorful explosions.
ELLIOTT: They explode closer to the ground and make a loud sound like this.
[POP]
JOY DOLO: These ancient firecrackers were made using only two things-- fire and bamboo. Bamboo is a plant. It grows straight up toward the sky like grass.
ELLIOTT: Bamboo shoots are very hard and hollow inside like a tube. Bamboo grows all over China.
JOY DOLO: The ancient Chinese people realized that when it burns, bamboo makes a loud popping sound. The air inside the bamboo heats up and explodes the hard shoot of the plant.
ELLIOTT: So people threw bamboo shoots into fire to protect themselves from wild animals.
JOY DOLO: Some people also believed in evil spirits and used bamboo firecrackers to scare them off.
MAN: How much longer do we have to travel before we get to this city?
WOMAN 1: Oh, I don't know.
[BRANCH SNAPS]
Did you hear that?
MAN: Maybe it's a tiger.
WOMAN 1: Or a wild boar.
MAN: Or the evil spirit of my Great Aunt Feiyan coming to haunt us.
WOMAN 1: Yikes! Throw a bamboo shoot on the fire to scare it away.
[POP]
ELLIOTT: And today, the Chinese word for firecrackers is actually exploding bamboo.
JOY DOLO: What? No way.
ELLIOTT: Yes way. I have proof.
HAIWANG YUAN: The word for firecracker has two syllables, two sounds in Chinese. [CHINESE] means burst or explode. [CHINESE] means bamboo, so bursting bamboo. That's [CHINESE] or firecracker.
JOY DOLO: That's Dr. Haiwang Yuan.
ELLIOTT: He's a writer, translator, and retired professor. And he knows a lot about the history of firecrackers and fireworks.
JOY DOLO: Dr. Yuan told us an amazing legend about ancient bamboo firecrackers, which also happens to be the origin story of the Chinese New Year, my second favorite day of the year after Dia de los Niños. Speaking of.
KID 1: Hello.
KID 2: Hi.
KID 3: Hello.
JOY DOLO: Hey. It's all the kids I invited for Dia de los Niños a.k.a. Children's Day a.k.a. also April 30. Come on in, guys. Elliott and I are recording an episode about the history of fireworks. Help yourself to raisins and boba or watch some Bugs Bunny cartoons, cause it's National Bugs Bunny Day too.
KID 2: What's up, doc? Cool.
KID 3: Thanks, Joy.
KID 1: I love boba.
JOY DOLO: Now, the Chinese New Year happens at the beginning of spring in China.
ELLIOTT: So it's sometimes called the Spring Festival.
JOY DOLO: And firecrackers and fireworks are a big part of the Chinese New Year.
ELLIOTT: According to legend, the tradition of exploding firecrackers and fireworks on the new year all started with a monster called the nian.
JOY DOLO: Dr. Yuan told us the story.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
HAIWANG YUAN: A long time ago, people believed that a terrible beast known as or called nian, with sharp teeth, big eyes, and a loud roar would come down into the village from the mountain to attack the villagers.
[MONSTER GROWLS]
ELLIOTT: And each spring, the villagers lived in fear of the terrible monster.
JOY DOLO: Until one day--
HAIWANG YUAN: --there came an old man, a white-bearded, white-haired old man. He was actually a god from heaven. He came to the village and tell the villagers, hey, I know how to conquer, fight this nian beast.
[CROWD GASPS]
It fears three things. One is the red color, one is a loud noise, and one is the bright light.
JOY DOLO: That old man who was actually a god told the villagers how to scare off the beast. Every spring, he said, when the new year begins, make everything red. Put red paper on the walls of your home and dress in red clothing.
ELLIOTT: Next, make loud noises by burning bamboo firecrackers and playing loud drums.
JOY DOLO: And finally, light candles, lanterns, and fires and keep them burning all night.
ELLIOTT: The villagers followed his advice. And it worked.
JOY DOLO: The beast left them alone.
ELLIOTT: And people in China still do these things.
HAIWANG YUAN: Even today, by the way, during the Chinese Eve, the Chinese are not supposed to go to sleep to turn off the lights. And also each of them wear-- especially the children-- wear red clothes. And people today set off firecrackers on New Year's Day.
JOY DOLO: So that's how firecrackers became part of the Chinese New Year celebration.
ELLIOTT: But what about the fireworks we see today? You know, the ones that shoot up in the sky? They are a lot bigger and brighter than bamboo shoot firecrackers.
JOY DOLO: Excellent question. And we're going to answer it in a bit. But first, Elliott, why don't you and I play a game of--
[MUSIC PLAYING] First Things First
This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. Since we're talking about celebrations like the Chinese New Year, let's talk about other things we use to celebrate. Glow sticks, party balloons, and bubbles. Elliott, what do you think came first, which came second, and which came most recently in history?
ELLIOTT: I feel like party balloons because those are rubber. But I could be totally wrong.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, yeah.
ELLIOTT: Second, glow sticks. And then bubbles.
JOY DOLO: And then bubbles. OK. I like the idea of rubber being first. I mean, that's an old material, right?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: So maybe that could have been the first one. And then also when you think of oldie time stuff like birthday parties, didn't they have balloons there too?
ELLIOTT: I don't know.
JOY DOLO: That's my logic, I don't know. We're out on this ship together, Elliott. We're just trying to get to shore. [LAUGHS] OK. And then second is glow sticks. Why do you think glow sticks came after balloons?
ELLIOTT: Because usually when the newer thing-- you think the newer thing would come last. But it never does.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] Yeah. So that's just like a strategy right there.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: OK. And then, finally, bubbles. Is there a reason that you think bubbles is most recent?
ELLIOTT: Because there wasn't another place to put it.
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] I bet you're really good at chess and games, aren't you?
ELLIOTT: I'm OK at chess.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. You got good strategy. OK, so just to round off here, we have party balloons and then glow sticks and then bubbles. Is that your final answer?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. All right. We'll hear the answers at the end of the episode, right after the credits.
ELLIOTT: So stick around.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: We're working on an episode all about the Girl Scouts, an organization that brings girls together to help their community build practical skills and have fun. They also earn badges for their accomplishments, which got us wondering-- if you could give your best friend, sibling, parent, or someone else a badge for something they do, who would you give it to, what would it be, and why? So, Elliott, what about you?
ELLIOTT: I think I give my mom a badge for being a great chef.
JOY DOLO: Oh, yeah. Great chef. What kind of stuff does she make?
ELLIOTT: Earlier, she made this really good shrimp curry. It was delicious.
JOY DOLO: Oh. That sounds so good. Listeners, we want to hear from you, too. Record yourself and send it to us at foreverago.org/contact.
ELLIOTT: You can also send us questions and fan art.
JOY DOLO: Yes. Like a painting of the most exciting fireworks display you've ever seen or a drawing of Mr Potato Head or maybe even raisin art.
ELLIOTT: And keep listening.
NARRATOR: Brains On! Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults. Since you're a fan of Forever Ago, you'll love the other shows in our universe. Come on, let's explore.
[AIRCRAFT ROARING]
ALIEN: It's alien exercise hour. Hi-yah, hoo, ha! While I stretch my snoodles and bounce on my trampoline, I'll listen to a new podcast. [LAUGHS]
[BUZZER]
I'm going to try Brains On, the best science podcast ever.
[ELECTRONIC SOUND]
WOMAN 2: It's starting. Yay.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
HOST: Hello and welcome to Pop Planet, the only show that gets you up close and personal with space. I'm your host star--
[BEEPS]
ALIEN: Zorp. Come back here, podcast.
[BEEPING]
Must listen to Brains On now.
NARRATOR: Listen to Brains On wherever you get your podcasts.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: You're listening to Forever Ago. I'm Joy.
ELLIOTT: And I'm Elliott.
JOY DOLO: And we're talking about the explosive history of fireworks. We're going to see an amazing fireworks display tonight in honor of International Jazz Day, Bugs Bunny Day, Dia de los Niños, National Bubble Tea Day, International Guide Dog Day, National Raisin Day, National Mr. Potato Head Day. What am I forgetting?
ELLIOTT: I think that's all of them.
JOY DOLO: Wait, I forgot it's also National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day. Oh, I should go adopt more shelter pets right now.
ELLIOTT: Maybe we finish this episode first, Joy? We just heard how the earliest firecrackers were made from bamboo.
JOY DOLO: Right. And that people have celebrated the Chinese New Year with firecrackers for centuries.
ELLIOTT: But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo. They don't just pop near the ground. They soar into the sky and burst into colors.
[FIREWORK WHISTLES, POPS]
JOY DOLO: That's because they're made using gunpowder. The Chinese also invented gunpowder.
ELLIOTT: By mistake.
JOY DOLO: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Around 1,400 years ago, there were many religions flowering in China, including Taoism, which is still practiced today.
ELLIOTT: Taoist religion is about harmony and balance. And many Taoists believed in immortality, which means to live forever.
JOY DOLO: Taoist monks, or the people who kept the Taoist traditions alive, spent a lot of time doing something called alchemy.
ELLIOTT: Alchemy is like chemistry.
JOY DOLO: You combine different ingredients, heat them up, and try to create something valuable like gold, a potion, or precious stones.
ELLIOTT: Taoist monks most likely tried to make potions for eternal life.
JOY DOLO: These potions were especially popular with Chinese emperors and other monks who wanted to live forever.
ELLIOTT: One day, some monks were mixing together a few different ingredients.
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
MONK 1: How about some charcoal and--
MONK 2: Potassium nitrate and--
MONK 1: Sulfur.
JOY DOLO: When they accidentally invented gunpowder.
[GUNPOWDER POPS]
MONK 1: Somehow I don't think we should eat that.
MONK 2: [COUGHS] That stuff's not going to help me live forever. It's going to do the opposite.
MONK 1: Yeah, but let's make it again.
[GUNPOWDER POPS]
ELLIOTT: The monks experimented some more. Soon, they had a recipe for gunpowder.
JOY DOLO: It made a much louder sound than the bamboo firecrackers.
ELLIOTT: So they stuffed bamboo shoots and paper packets with gunpowder, lit them on fire, and kablooey.
JOY DOLO: Not long afterwards, the Chinese figured out how to make fireworks shoot up into the air and create little orange flares in the sky.
ELLIOTT: Like the fireworks we see today.
JOY DOLO: Speaking of which, it's almost time to go watch the big show. I can't wait. I love fireworks.
KID 2: Yeah.
KID 3: Yeah, me too.
KID 2: Me too.
MR. POTATO HEAD: You know, as a giant potato head, I am not a fan. Fireworks are so loud, they make me want to take my ears off.
MRS. POTATO HEAD: And they're so smoky. Makes me feel like an old fried potato. [LAUGHS]
JOY DOLO: I get it, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. Fireworks aren't everyone's cup of bubble tea. My dog gets kind of nervous when he hears the loud bangs fireworks make, too.
MR. POTATO HEAD: I wish there was a less noisy version of them.
JOY DOLO: There is. And it uses drones, little robot helicopters operated by remote control.
ELLIOTT: Oh, yeah. Drone shows are awesome.
JOY DOLO: They put lights on a bunch of drones and make them dance together like synchronized swimmers to create images in the sky.
ELLIOTT: They can make almost any image you want. Bugs Bunny, boba tea.
JOY DOLO: They can even spell out, "April 30th rocks." And actually, China makes more drones than any other country in the world. Most drones are made in a city called Shenzhen. In 2024, the city hosted a drone spectacular with over 10,000 drones synchronized together.
ELLIOTT: Oh, yeah, I've read about that in the Guinness Book of World Records.
[FIREWORKS EXPLODING]
JOY DOLO: The fireworks are starting.
[CHEERING]
MR. POTATO HEAD: Wow.
ELLIOTT: Wow!
MR. POTATO HEAD: Wowzers!
KID 2: Wow. Yeah.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
JOY DOLO: Fireworks are colorful, loud explosives used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like the Chinese New Year.
ELLIOTT: The earliest form of fireworks were exploding bamboo firecrackers.
JOY DOLO: But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo. They're made of gunpowder.
ELLIOTT: Which Chinese Taoist monks invented by mistake. They were trying to create a potion of eternal life.
JOY DOLO: We still use gunpowder in the firecrackers and fireworks we know and love today.
ELLIOTT: And if you don't love how loud and smoky fireworks are, drone fireworks are a cool way to celebrate.
JOY DOLO: This episode was written by--
ROSE DUPONT: Rose Dupont.
JOY DOLO: It was produced by--
RUBY GUTHRIE: Ruby Guthrie.
JOY DOLO: And--
NICO GONZALEZ WISLER: Nico Gonzalez Wisler.
JOY DOLO: Our editors are--
SANDEN TOTTEN: Sanden Totten.
JOY DOLO: And--
SHAHLA FARZAN: Shahla Farzan.
JOY DOLO: Fact checking by--
REBECCA RAND: Rebecca Rand.
JOY DOLO: Engineering help from Alex Allinson and Jess Berg, with sound design by--
RACHEL BREEZE: Rachel Breeze.
JOY DOLO: Original theme music by--
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
JOY DOLO: We had additional production help from the rest of the Brains On! Universe team.
MOLLY BLOOM: Molly Bloom.
ANNA GOLDFIELD: Anna Goldfield.
LAUREN HUMBERT: Lauren Humbert.
JOSHUA RAY: Joshua Ray.
MARC SANCHEZ: Marc Sanchez.
CHARLOTTE TRAVER: Charlotte Traver.
ANNA WEGEL: Anna Weggel.
JOY DOLO: And--
ARON WOLDESELASSIE: Aron Woldeselassie.
JOY DOLO: Beth Perlman is our executive producer. And the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith. Special thanks to Dr. Haiwang Yuan, Brant Miller, [? Aron ?] O'Malley, Joe [? Goetz, ?] and Kim Parker. And Kim Parker's shrimp curry.
ELLIOTT: And if you want access to ad-free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our Smarty Pass.
JOY DOLO: OK, Elliott, are you ready to hear the answers for First Things First?
ELLIOTT: Yes, I am.
JOY DOLO: OK, so as a reminder, we're putting these three items in order. And this was your order. Number one was party balloons. Number two was glow sticks. And number three was bubbles. Right?
ELLIOTT: Yes.
JOY DOLO: Yes. All right, here we go. The answers to First Things First. And the first thing is bubbles.
ELLIOTT: Dang it.
JOY DOLO: Bubbles. Yeah. [LAUGHS] That's what I did not see that coming. Bubbles was first. And the first bubbles was invented in the 1600s. So soap bubbles have been around since ancient times, which I didn't know. Maybe I should listen to this soap episode again.
But we know for certain that kids have played with soap bubbles for at least 400 years, since the 1600s. We know this because there are European paintings from that time that show kids blowing bubbles with clay pipes. Blowing bubbles for fun took off in the United States when a company called Chemtoy started selling bubble solution in 1940. Whoa. Could you imagine blowing bubbles with a clay pipe?
ELLIOTT: No. Do you think it would taste really dusty?
JOY DOLO: [LAUGHS] I bet. And chalky.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: But the next one. So we had bubbles first, and then second was party balloons. So party balloons were invented in 1824. And a chemist and physicist, Michael Faraday, invented the rubber balloon. They were designed to be used in science experiments, but by the late 1800s, people were partying with them. Those were the birthday parties I was talking about.
ELLIOTT: Oh.
JOY DOLO: I knew they had them. I knew they had birthday party balloons back then. I knew it. Americans invented the first sausage balloons in 1912. The sausage balloon like link. I'm assuming like sausage links.
ELLIOTT: Or like the clown ones.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, like the ones clown use to get to twist up and make horses and stuff.
ELLIOTT: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: And people started twisting them into cool shapes like horses in the 1930s and '40s. Balloon poodle, anyone? OK, so it could be a poodle or a horse. Which one do you usually go for?
ELLIOTT: A poodle.
JOY DOLO: A poodle. Poodle. I'll go with poodle too, a green poodle. So that means last but not least was glow sticks. And that was invented in 1962. So organic chemist Edwin Chandross discovered the chemical reaction needed to make glow sticks in 1962. He discovered that when you mix hydrogen peroxide with another chemical called oxalate ester, you get a substance that glows.
You add some dye to the mix, and you can make glow sticks, turn different colors. And don't worry, the liquid in glow sticks is generally nontoxic. But if your glow stick breaks, you still shouldn't swallow it. I wish I would have known that a week ago. [LAUGHS] Were you surprised by any of these answers? Bubbles, 1600s. Party balloons, 1824.
ELLIOTT: Bubbles, I did not expect.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either. I also think the balloons are pretty cool. I didn't realize that they were going back that far. 1824?
ELLIOTT: I guess it would make sense if they were for science.
JOY DOLO: Yeah. For science. Well, you did a great job, Elliott. Great guesses. Join us in two weeks for a new episode all about maple syrup.
ELLIOTT: Ooh, maple syrup.
JOY DOLO: Yummy.
ELLIOTT: Thanks for listening.
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