Is It Harder to Make Fireworks in Certain Colors?
Fireworks come in all sorts of colors that cause delight and awe as they light up the sky. The most famous fireworks displays in the world usually occur on New Years Eve and the 4th of July, and these displays can cost cities thousands of dollars to orchestrate. July 4th fireworks occur across the U.S. as Americans trot out their best red, white and blue fireworks for their Fourth of July celebrations. We asked the experts a few questions. The color in fireworks come from metal salts, which are made up of metal and non-metal atoms that create pure, intense colors when burned (they burn via a range of other chemical compounds and elements added to the aerial shells before explosion). Some of the most common metal salts used to create brilliantly colored fireworks include copper salts for blue fireworks, calcium salts for orange fireworks and strontium salts for red fireworks. Its harder to make blue fireworks. Its all about balancing heat and the chemical compositions, says Jim Souza, whose Pyro Spectaculars runs the Macys July 4 show, the nations largest. Nevertheless, blue is among 28 colors launched from the Brooklyn Bridge. Perfectly orchestrated to synchronize to the musical score, the 25-minute display will feature a host of new shells and effects in 28 colors including crackling rain shells, patriotic chasing crossettes, howling wolves, screaming dragons, silver twisters, diamond screamers and a dramatic 1,600-foot waterfall. Each year on the 4th of July, Souzas company stages about 400 shows. Basic fireworks are spheres, Souza says. Cut one in half and youll find chemical marbles carefully arranged as, say, a smiley face or a star. When the fuse hits the explosive powder at the center of the marbles, boom! They shoot into the sky but maintain their original formation. Check it out:  A kaleidoscope firework, before and after. (Photos: Jim Souza)  A jellyfish firework, before and after. It should be anywhere from fifty dollars to five hundred dollars, Souza says. It depends on the size, the complication of the design. The projected cost for the Macys July 4 show, he added, is in the seven figures.  No surprise, considering the effort required to pull off the countrys most iconic firework display. Right after the shell [goes off] in the grand finale, we start planning for the following year, Souza says. Were immediately looking at the effects that worked, things we wanted to improve, or new ideas come from that. Were off traveling the world trying to find new effects.  Up next, discover the 75 Best Inspirational 4th of July Quotes.