Why We Celebrate the 4th of July with Fireworks

The celebratory display of fireworks we know today evolved out of the use of fireworks in romantic performances of combat and in elaborate pageants and plays, typically associated with national events.

England’s King Henry VII, whose royal standard bore the Red Dragon, included fireworks at his wedding in 1486. This was the first known use of fireworks at a national celebration, and his wife’s coronation in 1487 featured a fire-breathing dragon, which became popular in royal fireworks displays during the reign of the Tudors.

Queen Elizabeth I (ruled 1558–1603) was so fond of fireworks in performances that she even appointed a royal “Fire Master of England” to coordinate shows. After Robert Catesby’s Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament was foiled, fireworks were used locally in the annual commemoration of the event.