Our fireworks show

The Indicator from Planet Money

NPR

Business

4.7 • 9.2K Ratings

🗓️ 3 July 2023

⏱️ 9 minutes

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Summary

We have a few fascinating fireworks facts for your Fourth of July picnics! Over the last few decades, states and counties across the U.S. have liberalized fireworks laws. It's just one reason why sales of backyard pyrotechnics have exploded. So what happened to safety over this period?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	NPR.
0:12.0	This is the indicator from Planet Money, I'm Whalen Wong.
0:14.6	And I'm Darien Woods.
0:16.0	Whalen, we've got this fact that people can share over their 4th of July barbecue.
0:21.0	I mean forget the hot dogs and the cold slaw.
0:24.1	We are serving up delicious July 4th facts.
0:27.3	That's right.
0:28.3	The amount of fireworks bought by Americans per person has grown from a quarter of a pound
0:33.2	in 1990 to about a pound and a quarter today.
0:36.9	That's like five times.
0:38.4	Five times higher, it couldn't tumbling.
0:40.4	And we've done the numbers that's going from like one and a half Roman candles per person
0:44.6	back in the day to seven Roman candles for every single American today.
0:50.2	We have become a nation of pyros.
0:52.3	We have.
0:53.3	And what we'd like to talk about today is the story of why the dramatic increase happened.
0:58.0	It's an explosive tale of government clamped downs, roadside entrepreneurship and smuggling.
1:03.0	We'll also find out what's happened with injuries which I'm personally nervous about with
1:07.3	all those pinwheels and skyrockets shooting off.
1:10.1	Well, we will see after the break.
1:15.4	Support for NPR and the following message come from Indeed.
1:18.9	How your great talent for your business faster with Indeed.
	...

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