To make these loud explosions, which are usually accompanied by a bright white flash, firework manufacturers use mixtures of perchlorate, a different kind of explosive than black powder.

Displays are created in "colour sequence" with a myriad of colours and effects and barrages and cakes - essentially fireworks displaying almost simultaneously - adding the the overall effect.

A firework is an icon of synergism, in which the end result is greater than the individual effects. Yet where most of us see the whole—the brilliant light and vivid color of a successful burst ...