OOO, AHHHH! The history of fireworks

Forever Ago

American Public Media

Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.4 • 5.3K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Fireworks 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.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Forever Ago, friends. It's Joy, and this is a message for you adults. I want to take a minute to talk to you about public media.
0:09.8	You may have heard that public media is facing federal budget cuts, but what you might not know is that Forever Ago and all your favorite brains on universe podcasts are part of the public media ecosystem.
0:21.0	If you want to protect your favorite public media podcasts like this one, visit American
0:25.6	public media.org slash action to learn how you can help.
0:31.2	Hip, hip, hooray, it's National Bubble Tea Day.
0:39.7	I love Bubble Tea. Uh,, I love bubble tea.
0:40.8	Uh, Joy.
0:42.1	Oh, hi, Elliot.
0:43.8	You're my first guest.
0:44.8	Guest?
0:45.8	For what?
0:48.9	I'm having a party to celebrate the best day of the year.
0:50.6	April 30th.
0:51.7	Is it your birthday?
0:53.4	No, silly.
0:57.2	It's National Bubble Tea Day. Here, have some boba.
1:07.6	Awesome, thanks. Mmm, it's mango. It's also International Guide Dog Day, so I thought we could draw pictures of our favorite pooches together. Aw, fun!
1:11.8	And it's Hairsylist Appreciation Day?
1:14.0	Speaking of, do you like my new goddess braids?
1:17.2	I did them myself.
1:18.6	Uh-huh.
1:19.9	Let's hear some more hairstylist appreciation, Elliot.
	...

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