1 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff, a production from I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:12,039 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 1: Hey there, and welcome to tech Stuff. I'm your host, 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive producer with I Heart Radio, 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: and how the tech are you? You know, here in 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: the United States, it's the fourth of July. Technically it's 6 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: it's fourth of July other places too, but here in 7 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: the United States that date has historical significance and as such, 8 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: we observe it as a holiday, which means I am 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: not at work today, and Tari is not at work today, 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: and I don't believe in making people work on holidays, 11 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: and so we are going to listen to a classic 12 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,199 Speaker 1: episode of text Stuff. This is a part one of 13 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: a two partern so tomorrow we'll listen to part two. 14 00:00:48,800 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: Because there's just something in me where I can't just 15 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: let it go, where I just play part one and 16 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: never play part two. Here we go. This episode originally 17 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: published on July twenty third, two thousand and fourteen, and 18 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: it is called tech Stuff. Lights Some Fireworks Enjoy. Here's 19 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,760 Speaker 1: something I wondered as we were watching the traditional Independence 20 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: Day festivities. What kind of tech goes into a professional 21 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: fireworks display? What do they use to sink up the 22 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,839 Speaker 1: fireworks with music is their fancy tech that goes into 23 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: the creation of fireworks. Most of the ones I saw 24 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: tonight were the standard fare starbursts that could change their colors. 25 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: They burned, uh, though some twinkled like little Christmas lights, 26 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: flashing on and off in a way I wouldn't expect 27 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: from just a chemical burn. I also remember years ago 28 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: seeing some explode into a smiley face, though I haven't 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: seen as many of those recently. I also wondered if 30 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: there's anything that makes them safer, though I'm not sure 31 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: how safe you could ever make something that's designed to 32 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 1: explode if it hasn't been done already. It might be 33 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: cool to hear about how fireworks work. And Cyber Knight, 34 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: we are totally going to meet your expectations. We are 35 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: going to exceed them actually, because they at there's a 36 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: lot of science. There is. There's much, many much sciences. 37 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: In fact, I would say more science than tech when 38 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: you get down to it. However, it's a technology of chemistry. Yeah, 39 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: it is applied chemistry, so there is. And we have 40 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: demonstrated on the show previously that we like fire Yeah. 41 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: We did a full episode. By the way, sorry, we 42 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: didn't talk about compression fire starters. I had it in 43 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: my notes, did not fill it out, and then we 44 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: were taken to task for it. Rightfully, So I would say, 45 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: but we're gonna we're gonna be very thorough as it 46 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 1: turns out with fireworks, because while I was thinking about it, 47 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: you know, just covering the basics, the more I got 48 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: into the chemistry, the more exciting it was, the more 49 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: interesting it was, and the more I was like, well, 50 00:02:43,120 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: I'm in for opinion for a pound. If the government's 51 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: going to see how I'm looking about, you know, how 52 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: to make gunpowder, might as well go all in. So 53 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: we're going to talk all about it. Definitely one of 54 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: those that were like, okay, what interesting watch lists are 55 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,959 Speaker 1: we on? At least three or four more? So we 56 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: should probably define what a firework is is for just 57 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: just the purposes of framing the discussion, right, sure, Well, 58 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: you know, at its base, I suppose it's something that 59 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,040 Speaker 1: explodes for fun. Yes, that's pretty much it. A firework 60 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: is something that is explosive or combustible, and it's meant 61 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:18,639 Speaker 1: for display purposes, to to create an impressive light display 62 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: or exactly. Yeah, you could get a firecracker, which is 63 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: really meant to make a lot of noise, or your 64 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,639 Speaker 1: you might get a Roman candle, which doesn't make a 65 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: lot of noise, but it is very impressive light show. Uh. 66 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: And of course then there's all the stuff that also 67 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: falls into the fireworks category, things like sparklers, that kind 68 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: of stuff. We're mostly gonna be focusing on your traditional fireworks, 69 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 1: the stuff that you would go and look up into 70 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: the sky and see that plays that are launched from 71 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: something into the air exactly, So your your common basic 72 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: ingredients and fireworks are well. It's black powder, also known 73 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: as gunpowder. You know, pretty pretty simple, relatively simple. Uh. 74 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: It's traditionally made from sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate, which 75 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: back in ye old days was called saltpeter. Yeah. And 76 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: back in the old days, he mostly got it from India, 77 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: at least if you were in the Western hemisphere, you 78 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: got it from India. Uh. In fact, I read an 79 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:25,240 Speaker 1: interesting article published in eighteen sixty one by the New 80 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 1: York Times about the various powder mills, which we'll talk 81 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,720 Speaker 1: about a little bit, uh in the United States, and 82 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: essentially it was running down how the South didn't have 83 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: enough powder mills for this Civil War thing to be 84 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,840 Speaker 1: a big deal. As it turns out, four more years later, 85 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: they probably felt like that was maybe a little premature. 86 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 1: I think, yeah, that that turned out to be less 87 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: correct than they had hoped. It was a certainly, you know, 88 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: I think it was an optimistic take on what ended 89 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: up being a very trying time in the U. S. History. 90 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: But we're going to focus on the fireworks. So speaking 91 00:04:57,360 --> 00:05:00,440 Speaker 1: of history, looking at the history of fireworks, this is 92 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: stuff of legend. As it turns out, Oh, certainly, because 93 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: I mean, guess what neither of us were around two 94 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: to three thousand years ago to observe and we don't 95 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 1: have a real way back machine. Yeah, I'm really sorry, guys, 96 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:15,040 Speaker 1: we have been lying to you. It's just a special effect. 97 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: It's a really special effect. It is. It is very special. Unfortunately, 98 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,880 Speaker 1: if someone has not actually documented it in a way 99 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,479 Speaker 1: that is verifiable, we cannot, in fact go back and 100 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: say exactly what happened. But we can tell you what 101 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: the legends are. Yes, there's a legend that over two 102 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: thousand years ago in China, a chef, a chef was 103 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: mixing together some charcoal, some sulfur, and some saltpeter, and 104 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: those were all ingredients that were found in field kitchens. Okay, 105 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 1: so uh yeah, apparently just accidentally happened to measure these 106 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,120 Speaker 1: in the or or mix these in the right amounts, 107 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: because it's not like you have equal parts of each ingredient. 108 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,680 Speaker 1: It's actually more precise than that. Aren't going to talk 109 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 1: about that because I don't want you guys making gunpowder, 110 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: so don't try that at home. But this chef happened 111 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: upon this recipe, Yeah, discovered that if you compress it, 112 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: like if you put it into a container of some sort, 113 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: and then if it were too I don't know, come 114 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,400 Speaker 1: into contact with any kind of flame, it blows up. 115 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: I don't know if that chefs survived this discovery, because 116 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,520 Speaker 1: I don't even know if the chef's existed, So it's 117 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: all up in the air really literally possibly depending upon 118 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: where the gunpowder was. Now, if you look up the 119 00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: history of fireworks online, like if you were to actually 120 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: go and put into your favorite search engine history of fireworks, 121 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: you're going to find a particular story told repeatedly throughout 122 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: numerous links, most of which go to like fireworks manufacturers 123 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: and as like many other research topics, on the Internet. 124 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: They all tell basically the same story and basically the 125 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: same wording without any particular reference anything real. Yeah, there's 126 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: no citation, right, yeah, so that so what the legend 127 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: is is that there was a monk in China named 128 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:11,280 Speaker 1: le Chian who lived around quote a thousand years ago. 129 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: That is always the way it's put, by the way, 130 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: around a thousand years ago. It's never given a date. 131 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: It just as around a thousand years ago. And so 132 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: depending upon when this was written, you know, and anyway, 133 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: so much so many different sources use the exact wording. 134 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,400 Speaker 1: I expect they all took their information from either the 135 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 1: same source or they're just borrowing it from each other. 136 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: It's just this big circle of people borrowing the same stuff. 137 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: But the best scholarly source I could find simply said 138 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: that the first firecracker was made sometime around eleventh century 139 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: Common era in China, so eleventh century a d if 140 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: you prefer, in China. And this was the time when 141 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:51,440 Speaker 1: Chinese alchemists were searching for something called the elixir of life. 142 00:07:51,920 --> 00:07:54,320 Speaker 1: And along the way, while trying to find this elixir 143 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: of life, they they mixed a bunch of different kinds 144 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: of stuff together and found lots of interesting things, not 145 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: the elixir life, but as it turns out, they found 146 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: out about gunpowder. Just kind of like an a lixer 147 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:06,720 Speaker 1: of death. When you think about it, it can be 148 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: certainly with the with the incorrect application. So the first 149 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: firecracker was probably a parchment tube loosely filled with this 150 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and willow charcoal. Willow charcoal, by 151 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: the way, one of the more popular forms. As it 152 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: turns out, you want to use softer woods to create 153 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,000 Speaker 1: the charcoal because the harder woulds tend to create too 154 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: much ash. I learned that while I was doing all 155 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: this research. Now, once these things were invented, they started 156 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: to spread throughout the world gradually, usually through trade. Uh. 157 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 1: Sometime between twelve thirty five and twelve nine, d Roger 158 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: Bacon began to experiment with an early form of black powder. 159 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:50,320 Speaker 1: This was again stuff that had probably been brought to 160 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: the Western world through trade, yeah, mostly through Arabic traders. 161 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: Most likely the story goes that Marco Polo brought some over, 162 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:02,199 Speaker 1: but it's much more likely that it was Arabic traders 163 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: well before Marco Polo's journeys. But at any rate Bacon's 164 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: work would lead to the development of what we know 165 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: as gunpowder today. Yes, he would. He would sort of 166 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 1: refine this mixture, finding the right proportions of mixing these 167 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: ingredients together to get something that would work very well 168 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: if you wanted to, uh, you know, launch something at somebody, 169 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:27,640 Speaker 1: like say a cannonball. Sure, because if you mix all 170 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:30,199 Speaker 1: of these things together, you get a good bright flash, 171 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: and if you compress them beforehand, you get a big 172 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: boom as well. Yep, yep. Otherwise, like if you've ever 173 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,079 Speaker 1: seen those videos of or films of people taking the 174 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: old timey photographs with the flash powder, where it just 175 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: it just lights up, and that was how they created 176 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: a flash since they didn't have the capacitors to make 177 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: up a flashing light bulb. That's what gunpowder does. If 178 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: it's just out in the open. You've probably seen this. 179 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: It's you know, it's also really popular in like cartoons 180 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:55,520 Speaker 1: and stuff. You see the long trail of gunpowder and 181 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:59,199 Speaker 1: the exactly so that really is how it just burns 182 00:09:59,679 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: really really quickly. Now, the gunpowder industry and fireworks industry 183 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:07,319 Speaker 1: are very closely linked together. Improvements in developing gunpowder and 184 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,319 Speaker 1: the methodology for producing it were ported over to work 185 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 1: in fireworks as well, and early fireworks displays were developed 186 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: in China and India for religious festivals. Uh. There aren't 187 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: really written accounts of how these fireworks spread throughout the world. 188 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: But again we think that Arabic traders probably brought this 189 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:30,040 Speaker 1: stuff over into Europe and the Europeans said, Wow, that's amazing, 190 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: that's awesome, let's bloss stuff up here too. Yeah. And 191 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: in fact, for a long time they were importing this 192 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: stuff from the East, and in fact would even higher 193 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 1: experts from the East to come and do the displays 194 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 1: in in Europe. It would only be in the late 195 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: Middle Ages early Renaissance when you started seeing Europeans try 196 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,679 Speaker 1: and take on this responsibility themselves. Uh. Now, by the 197 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:58,079 Speaker 1: Italian Renaissance, fireworks creators began to experiment with adding extra 198 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,319 Speaker 1: ingredients to mixtures to use different colors of light, so 199 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: for example, adding copper to create blue light. We'll talk 200 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: more about adding color to fireworks a bit later. So 201 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: the thing is, if you want to learn more about 202 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: what the displays back in the Middle Ages were like, 203 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,640 Speaker 1: there are only a few accounts. A lot of them though, 204 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: come from England, because it turns out the English were 205 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,640 Speaker 1: bananas over this stuff. The Italians and Germans were working 206 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: really hard on improving fireworks technology, and the English were 207 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: enjoying the heck out of it. We'll be back with 208 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:40,320 Speaker 1: more in just a moment. So one of the accounts 209 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: says that during the wedding of Henry the Seventh also 210 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,839 Speaker 1: known as Henry Tudor and Elizabeth of York in four six, 211 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: there were fireworks displays. Others talk more about Elizabeth's coronation, 212 00:11:51,120 --> 00:11:54,079 Speaker 1: so there's a little bit of a argument there. The 213 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: same is true for Henry the eighth wedding uh and Bleyn, 214 00:11:58,040 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: which was a wife number two. I think I think 215 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: she had a good head on her shoulders. Uh not 216 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: for long. Spoiler art James Anthony Froud wrote that there 217 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: were quote wild men casting fire and making a hideous 218 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,640 Speaker 1: noise end quote, which I think is a fantastic description 219 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: of fireworks. When I was a kid, I hated them 220 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: because I didn't like loud noise, and even just seeing 221 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,600 Speaker 1: the fireworks burst in the sky made me made my 222 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 1: anxiety levels go up because I knew a loud noise 223 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,760 Speaker 1: was coming right right. I remember having one year where 224 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:33,600 Speaker 1: I was really upset by them, like I had loved 225 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: them and then suddenly was like that's loud and I'm 226 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: against it. Yeah, I've come back around now, but for 227 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: a long time I was. I was certainly the person 228 00:12:42,040 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: who was like, I don't want to be here when 229 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 1: the fireworks start UNA for the record, Yeah, yeah, most 230 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: dogs I've encountered shared my feeling. I think I finally 231 00:12:52,520 --> 00:12:56,680 Speaker 1: evolved beyond dog stage. So Henry the eighth and Ann 232 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: BERLEYN had a daughter, Elizabeth, Yeah, somewhat famous. Yes, it 233 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: became Queen of England and uh sat on her thorn 234 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: for many years throne throne. Sorry, it was just misreading 235 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,480 Speaker 1: my notes, but no, Elizabeth obviously one of the most 236 00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 1: influential um monarchs of all time. Really yeah, and she 237 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: she loved the sparkles. She did she she she created 238 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: a position for its Firemaster of England. Um, it would 239 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:31,000 Speaker 1: be I think it was after in the ruling of 240 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: James the First when that position came along with the knighthood. 241 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: At any rate, you had people who suddenly really wanted 242 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: to pursue the craft, to become the best at it, 243 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: in order to land this cushy job of being the 244 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,160 Speaker 1: fire Master of England, because you would imagine that comes 245 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: with some sweet you know, bonuses like money. Yeah, and 246 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: so a lot of people were trying new and different 247 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: things to kind of impress the queen. Yeah. Yeah. According 248 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: to some accounts, one of the things you might expect 249 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,920 Speaker 1: to see at a true, really outrageous display would be 250 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:07,719 Speaker 1: a dragon with paper mache scales that was loaded up 251 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 1: with fireworks so that it would breathe fire. It would 252 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:13,440 Speaker 1: appear to be breathing fire, and sometimes they would have 253 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: more than one, and then you would have dragon fights, yes, 254 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: and then maybe one of the women's up catching on 255 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 1: fire and the other one is slightly less on fire, 256 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: and so that's the one that wins. Um. But they 257 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: would battle one another. And so you read about this 258 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:27,920 Speaker 1: kind of stuff, you're like, wow, these these had to 259 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 1: be pretty spectacular. And then you also think, remember they 260 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: had no automated way this. There was probably some poor 261 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,240 Speaker 1: jerk who had a match stick or some form of 262 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: torture something that was lighting this stuff manually and then 263 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: trying to get the heck away from it before he 264 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: burnt up. Yeah, or possibly a couple of guys on 265 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: the ground like with sticks holding these things up. I'm 266 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,240 Speaker 1: a little bit terrified about the entire concept, but but yeah, no, 267 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: they were very impressive. Shakespeare even wrote wrote about them 268 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: in some of his plays, Right, Romeo and juliet There 269 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: is a quote that says, these violent delight have violet ends, 270 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: and in their triumph die like fire and powder, which 271 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,280 Speaker 1: as they kiss consume. Now, in that case, of course, 272 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: he's referring to the lover's Romeo and Juliette, and the 273 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: passion they have for one another, and he's likening it 274 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: to a fireworks display, which you know, has been a 275 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: pretty powerful image that has been repeated at nauseum ever since. 276 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: The whole thing where the two lovers kiss and then 277 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,520 Speaker 1: you see the fireworks going off in the background very much. 278 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: It's interesting that it seems to have originated with Shakespeare, 279 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: as many so many things have. Also, fireworks were deemed 280 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:40,920 Speaker 1: to be an illegal possession for regular citizens right around 281 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: six five. Uh, yeah, that that's about when a certain 282 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: persona now publicly known because of a certain movies comic book. Yes, 283 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: guy Fox got into some trouble with the gunpowder plot. Yes, 284 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,360 Speaker 1: he was part of a conspiracy to blow up the 285 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: houses of Parliament by storing something like thirty something casks 286 00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: of gunpowder underneath. They were going to tunnel underneath the 287 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: Houses of Parliament that stuff in there and then light 288 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 1: it and blow it up. And the conspirators were caught 289 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: before they could execute their plan. And Guy Fox himself, 290 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,240 Speaker 1: who was not necessarily the ringleader, he was one of 291 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: the members Um, was really made an example of in 292 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: some of the most horrifying ways you can imagine. Now, 293 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: granted he was playing on committing a terrible act, but 294 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: they did a really terrible act him and drawn quartered 295 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,240 Speaker 1: And of course they had Guy Fox Day for you know, 296 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: the early Guy Fox days involved lots of burning of 297 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:42,680 Speaker 1: Guy Fox and effigy Um. And then there's a whole 298 00:16:42,680 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: story there that's amazing, but stuff he missed in history 299 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: class would really be the best place to cover that. 300 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:48,960 Speaker 1: And I'm sure they have actually mean, I feel like 301 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: it's likely. Yeah, these these days we have the charming 302 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: anonymous masks based off exactly. So at that point it 303 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 1: was made illegal for the common citizen to possess fireworks. 304 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: The only people who are allowed were specifically given that 305 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: that responsibility by the crown. So that's kind of the 306 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:14,280 Speaker 1: early early history. But let's talk about what's actually going 307 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:18,600 Speaker 1: on inside of firework. What is what is making it work? Well, 308 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: this is mostly chemistry, but let's let's talk about black powder, 309 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,360 Speaker 1: since that is that is the basic what is going 310 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: on here. So we talked about sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter 311 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: or potassium nitrate. Uh, you might wonder what are these 312 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: things actually doing within gunpowders. So sulfur and charcoal are 313 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,159 Speaker 1: acting as fuel, right, and the potassium nitrate is acting 314 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: as an oxidizer. So oxidizers in this sense are the 315 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: chemicals that fuel requires in order to burn. If you 316 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:49,639 Speaker 1: remember the great triangle of what is required to make fire, 317 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: you have to have fuel, you have to have oxygen, 318 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: and you have to have heat. Those are the three 319 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: things that together will allow you to have fire. And 320 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: if you're lacking any of those, you're not going to 321 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 1: get it. If you have just oxygen and fal and 322 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 1: but not heat, it's not gonna happen. Same thing with 323 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: just oxygen and fire. You've got to have some fuel there. 324 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: So oxydizers are chemicals that are really good at getting 325 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,040 Speaker 1: oxygen into the mix. Yes, And in fact, potassium nitrate 326 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 1: is incredibly good at this. So let's look at these 327 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: ingredients each on their own. If you look at just charcoal, 328 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:24,919 Speaker 1: which is essentially carbon and you want to try and 329 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 1: burn it, if you were to light a match and 330 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: just hold it to charcoal, it doesn't really ignite very well, yeah, 331 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: kind of. It kind of smolders and smokes, and and 332 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:35,760 Speaker 1: if you get it hot enough, like it will start 333 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: to burn. Certainly they'll start to glow, blow, doesn't. You 334 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,040 Speaker 1: don't get a lot of flame out of it. You've 335 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: probably done this at home, perhaps on a charcoal grill, 336 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: or when you have burned a log down to the coals. Yeah, 337 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:51,159 Speaker 1: you've got those those coals are that's charcoal that's just 338 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: glowing because of the heat that's coming through. We'll talk 339 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,640 Speaker 1: about the actual mechanism of glowing a little bit later too. 340 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:01,359 Speaker 1: So again, you don't get a lot of ignition, not 341 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: not in a lot of flame. It's certainly not explosive 342 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: ignition yet, probably unless you've done something very strange, right, 343 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,120 Speaker 1: unless unless your charcoal has got some other funky ingredients 344 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 1: in it, or I guess you've compressed it a lot. 345 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:18,320 Speaker 1: Maybe I'm yeah, that would be incredible. Eventually you would 346 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:22,119 Speaker 1: get a diamond. So, but sulfur it burns at a 347 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:25,480 Speaker 1: lower temperature than charcoal does that carbon does. It ignites 348 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: more easily, but not really at room temperature. So if 349 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 1: you had a little crucible, let's say, a little ceramic 350 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,320 Speaker 1: crucible filled with some some sulfur, and you put a 351 00:19:34,400 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: match to it, it wouldn't really light up. But again, 352 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: if you were to heat it, it will start to melt, 353 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: and then it will burn if exposed to even higher temperatures, 354 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: and that gives off sulfur dioxide, which, by the way, 355 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,000 Speaker 1: not good to breathe in. It could irritate your lung. 356 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: One of the many reasons why you shouldn't melt sulfur 357 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: at home. Yeah. Yeah, these these things like charcoal that's 358 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:59,680 Speaker 1: fairly fairly benign as things go. Sulfur a little bit 359 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 1: less so, uh, potassium nitrate less so than either of 360 00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,160 Speaker 1: the other two. Yeah, this is what increases that rate 361 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,679 Speaker 1: of combustion significantly when it's added to a mixture of 362 00:20:09,720 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: carbon and sulfur, again in the correct amounts. So when 363 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: it's mixed properly, that combination willing nite and burn really 364 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: really quickly. Um. And it is it is the of 365 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,760 Speaker 1: course the traditional oxidizer in this combination of stuff that 366 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: goes into black powder, but lots of other things can 367 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:29,840 Speaker 1: be used, for example, potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, or barium 368 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: nitrate and UH. As of twenty eleven, organizations from like 369 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: Walt Disney Company to the U. S. Department of Defense 370 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: have started looking at green alternatives to all of these oxidizers. 371 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: UH and I say green, and you go, like, what 372 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,440 Speaker 1: you're making stuff explode? How green does it need to be? 373 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,679 Speaker 1: But the thing is is that um okay. So it 374 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: turns out the dangerous chemicals can present health and environmental hazards. 375 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:59,720 Speaker 1: UM and potassium nitrate specifically is a really common ingredient 376 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,640 Speaker 1: in herbsides, Potassium chlorate is a hearsh ingredient in disinfectants. 377 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 1: Potassium perchlorate can disrupt the production of hormones and the 378 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: thyroid and harmon born babies, and a barium nitrate can 379 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:14,240 Speaker 1: interfere with heart and breathing functions. So none of that 380 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: is good fun times and and so a lot of 381 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: research has been put in recent years into trying to 382 00:21:18,880 --> 00:21:23,320 Speaker 1: figure out better ways of burning stuff, yet that isn't 383 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: releasing these chemicals into the environment and showering them over 384 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,000 Speaker 1: crowds of fawning onlookers, or you know, into your water supply, 385 00:21:30,240 --> 00:21:33,960 Speaker 1: or for example, potassium chlorate is a great example. Potassium 386 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 1: chlorate is this stuff a great example of a bad, 387 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: bad ingredients as opposed to one that's green. Potassium chlorate 388 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: ends up creating a more explosive burn than say, potassium 389 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,359 Speaker 1: nitrate does. Potassium nitrates already pretty impressive, but if you 390 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:54,000 Speaker 1: ever watch someone create potassium chlorate a mixture of sulfur, 391 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: charcoal and potassium chlorate in the right amounts and then 392 00:21:57,640 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: light it, it lights even, It burns even faster than 393 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:05,120 Speaker 1: the regular black powder mixture, and so it's often used 394 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,400 Speaker 1: in something called a burst charge, which we'll talk about later. 395 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,680 Speaker 1: But like you said, it leaves some pretty nasty stuff 396 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 1: behind chlorate. If you look at that word chlorate, you 397 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:18,400 Speaker 1: realize that chlorine is one of those things that's involved 398 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: in this, and that's one of the byproducts as you 399 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: get this chlorine released as as one of the the 400 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:27,200 Speaker 1: remnants after the chemical reaction that happens when you ignite 401 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: this stuff. Chlorine is not good stuff, folks. You don't 402 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: don't want just pure chlorine all over the place it's 403 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: it's toxic. So you know, that's one of those things 404 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: where uh a lot more research needs to be done 405 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: in order to make the stuff really safe. Right now, 406 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: two things, sodium parietate and potassium parietate are starting to 407 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: move into use as substitutes, more clean substitute for the 408 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: traditional one, because the trick is that you have to 409 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 1: find something that's going to facilitate this rapid burning. If 410 00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: you don't have that, then obviously you can't do the 411 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: fireworks at least not the way we're accustomed to. Um. 412 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 1: So we'll we'll, you know, hope that that kind of 413 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: stuff gets further distributed throughout the entire industry so that 414 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,280 Speaker 1: we have a less uh you know, negative impact on 415 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,160 Speaker 1: the environment and potentially on on the viewers of fireworks 416 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,360 Speaker 1: displays or just the people who happen to live around 417 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,439 Speaker 1: those areas. Oh yeah, this this also goes into I mean, 418 00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:25,320 Speaker 1: the Department of Defense wasn't involved in that because of 419 00:23:25,359 --> 00:23:28,719 Speaker 1: the fireworks displays necessarily, so much as this is useful 420 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,679 Speaker 1: also for anything else that you're using gunpowder for for 421 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:33,720 Speaker 1: the Department of Defense as many things, and you know, 422 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: trying to protect the lives of our munitions workers and 423 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: also our our soldiers and troops and everyone else. Absolutely, 424 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: I interrupt this episode of tech stuff to let you 425 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: know there's going to be some messages followed by some 426 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: more tech stuff. So how is it made? Don't try 427 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: this at home, yes, do not. This is one of 428 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: those things that if you are if you're part of 429 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,359 Speaker 1: a lab and the lab has the facilities to do it, 430 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 1: and you can make it in small amounts. It's a 431 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: very interesting process. But this is not something for you 432 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: to ever try on your own because if you got 433 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: the mixture either just right or just wrong, bad things 434 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: can happen. But generally speaking, here's what the processes, and 435 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,920 Speaker 1: I'm not again going to explain the specific amounts. First, 436 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: you would have to reduce each ingredient to find grains 437 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:28,920 Speaker 1: of powder, and you would want to do this separately. 438 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: Right this, You don't mix them together first, So you 439 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,040 Speaker 1: get your charcoal and you mash it up so you've 440 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,800 Speaker 1: got charcoal powder. You get your sulfur. You make sure 441 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: you you pound out any any clumps so that you 442 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: just get a fine powder. Same thing with your saltpeter. 443 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 1: You want to make sure all of that stuff is 444 00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:46,879 Speaker 1: as fine as you possibly can make it. Then you 445 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,439 Speaker 1: mix those ingredients together with a little water or some 446 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,880 Speaker 1: other liquid. For example, and I'm not making this up, 447 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:58,199 Speaker 1: one of the liquids I saw was stale urine. Stale 448 00:24:58,359 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: urine stale urine specifically stale Yes, I am not joking, 449 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: because it allows for a more consistent burn. Um. Yeah, 450 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:13,240 Speaker 1: all right, So anyway, you mix it in with this 451 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: liquid to help these different ingredients bind together, Usually you 452 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,160 Speaker 1: have some sort of binding agent. What's some something that's 453 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: going to help them stick together in the right in 454 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:24,400 Speaker 1: the right amounts. Saltpeter, as it turns out, was really 455 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,160 Speaker 1: soluble and it will fill in all those nice little spaces, 456 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,800 Speaker 1: and charcoal pretty easily. Charcoal has a lot of surface areas, 457 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: so it's it's a good mix. Then you let the 458 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: mixture dries, becomes kind of like a cake like mass. 459 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 1: It's solidifying like a hard biscuit. Yeah, it's like a 460 00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: red velvet cake, right, Yeah, so it's it's much more 461 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,320 Speaker 1: dense also much more likely to explode than your traditional 462 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: red velvet uses. You then crush this dry matt mass 463 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: with something that will totally not cause sparks. Please, Yeah, 464 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: you don't use any nothing that's gonna potentially create spark, 465 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: so usually it's ceramic or non sparking metals or something 466 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 1: along those lines of stone, just regular stone, not like 467 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:09,720 Speaker 1: Flynn steel, would be a terrible idea to turn it 468 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,919 Speaker 1: into a powder. Um. This is one of the reasons 469 00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 1: why it's challenging to make this stuff in huge amounts, 470 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,160 Speaker 1: particularly for someone who doesn't have like a powder mill 471 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:23,400 Speaker 1: at their disposal. They the accounts I read were especially 472 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: for people who are like, uh, military recreationist people, people 473 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: who create, uh they recreate like the famous battles, and 474 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,960 Speaker 1: they want to have black powder muskets. They're not firing 475 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: musket balls, but they want to be able to have 476 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:40,360 Speaker 1: that big loud bang smoke um they talk about making 477 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: us say, it's a little hard if you want to 478 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: make more than say, ten pounds of the stuff at 479 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: a time, and like, you know, keeping in mind that 480 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: ten pounds of gunpowder, especially if it's in a compact container, 481 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: it could be incredibly dangerous. I just had a very 482 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: mild panic attack thinking about any of the people that 483 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,120 Speaker 1: I personally know who dress up in costumes and run 484 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: around the woods firing fake guns at each They're having 485 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: ten pounds of gunpowder at your disposal. Yeah, it's uh, 486 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:05,679 Speaker 1: it certainly is one of those things where you do 487 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,800 Speaker 1: need to know the best practices to safely handle this 488 00:27:09,800 --> 00:27:13,719 Speaker 1: stuff because it really is incredibly dangerous. But at that 489 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,960 Speaker 1: point in this process, you're done. You've got your gunpowder. 490 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 1: If you do want to make large quantities. How did 491 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: those powder mills work that you were mentioning earlier? So, yeah, 492 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:27,679 Speaker 1: you usually you would have some sort of of bowl 493 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: like surface, and then you'd have a grinding wheel that 494 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: would be powered either by horsepower, manpower, or water wheel, 495 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:37,320 Speaker 1: that kind of thing. So it's a mill, you know, 496 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:39,040 Speaker 1: the kind of mill that you would see for any 497 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,439 Speaker 1: other sort of thing, grinding grain, for example. And what 498 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: you would do is you would you would mix all 499 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: these ingredients together and then you would put that in 500 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 1: the mill for it to grind up into the proper 501 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,520 Speaker 1: um fine powder that you would need to use as 502 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 1: black powder. Again, you would have to make sure that 503 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,520 Speaker 1: all the equipment you had was not likely to cause 504 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:02,680 Speaker 1: a spark alright, wood or stone or something non spark making. Yeah, 505 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,680 Speaker 1: it's it's hard, non sparkworthy. It's kind of hard to 506 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: to put it into words. Properly it is incombustible. Yes, 507 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,159 Speaker 1: that's good. One other interesting feature that a lot of 508 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:14,640 Speaker 1: these powder mills had was that at least one wall, 509 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:18,080 Speaker 1: sometimes more than one, was specifically built weaker than the 510 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: other walls. The other walls would support more of the 511 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: structure's weight. H so that if everything in the factory exploded, 512 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,360 Speaker 1: it would be easier for people to get out well, 513 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,280 Speaker 1: or easier for firefighters to get in. Uh yeah, because 514 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: I mean if you are caught inside that building when 515 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: there's an explosion, there's probably parts of you got out. 516 00:28:39,560 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: Um yeah, it's it was meant so that it could 517 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: open up an easy pathway for any uh, reactionary measures measures, 518 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:53,680 Speaker 1: whether that's putting out fires or you know, dealing with 519 00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: the aftermath. I mean, you didn't necessarily have people inside 520 00:28:57,320 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: these things all the time while they're grinding with any 521 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: but it was meant as this way. It's like, let's say, 522 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 1: if you have it as a water wheel, you know 523 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: it means you're near a source of water, running water, 524 00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 1: you might have the wall that is closest to the 525 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:14,000 Speaker 1: running water blowout, So that way, if there is a fire, 526 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: you can you've got the water right there, so you 527 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 1: can start a bucket brigade type thing. Now that's why 528 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: I kind of had a face upall moment thinking about 529 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: that one. But now that you mentioned it, really that's 530 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,000 Speaker 1: I sort of want all of my buildings to be 531 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: structurally weaker on one side. I mean, nothing else that 532 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: I could just man right out of anything that would 533 00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: be fair. Yeah, there are so many times where I 534 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,360 Speaker 1: just think that I need to have the Jonathan shaped 535 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: dust cloud and then the wall like the Jonathan shaped 536 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:43,239 Speaker 1: hole in the wall where I've made my escape. So 537 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,480 Speaker 1: these days, we don't have so many water wheels kicking 538 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 1: around in large factory facilities. We do have some machine 539 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,760 Speaker 1: versions that will do the crushing, but again it's really 540 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: tricky because you have to make sure that that machinery 541 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: is not going to have any kind of sparking element 542 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: to it. So, in other word, the motors can't be sparking, 543 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:05,320 Speaker 1: not just the rollers or whatever. So you have to 544 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,200 Speaker 1: make sure that the materials you're using the surface and 545 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:11,880 Speaker 1: the rollers that are doing the crushing are not going 546 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: to create any sparks, and furthermore, that they're going to 547 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 1: be cool enough to not risk igniting it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 548 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: So it's It's one of those things that really took 549 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: a lot of of effort to get it right so 550 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,239 Speaker 1: that it could be created safely, or at least as 551 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: safely as possible. Accidents still happen. I mean, you've probably 552 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: heard of accidents, whether they were in facilities that were 553 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:38,240 Speaker 1: processing black powder or a fireworks warehouse, These things do happen. 554 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:41,320 Speaker 1: So it really drives home the fact that you've got 555 00:30:41,320 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: to treat it with respect. Sure, sure, Okay, So once 556 00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: you've got your black powder, how do you assemble the 557 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 1: fireworks themselves? Okay, so basically, and we'll talk more about 558 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: this in in our part two about fireworks, but basically 559 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:56,520 Speaker 1: what you need to do is do it by hand 560 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 1: because automated versions again tend to have equipment that could 561 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 1: create a spark. And so you've most fireworks are are handmade, 562 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 1: hand packed. So if you if you were to take 563 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: a typical firework, like a big one one that's used 564 00:31:14,440 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: in a professional display, these things tend to weigh several pounds, 565 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: They can be in lots of different shapes. It all 566 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:23,080 Speaker 1: depends upon the effect you want. We'll talk about that 567 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: in the next episode two. But if you were to 568 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 1: cut it in half, you would see that you would 569 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 1: have a core of this black powder, whether it was 570 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,480 Speaker 1: made with potassium nitrate or potassium chlorate or some other 571 00:31:34,840 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: oxidizer involved, but the black powder would be at the core, 572 00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: and you would have these other little elements inside the 573 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: firework that are meant to be projected outward after the 574 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: core explode, all right, probably suspended in clay or something 575 00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: staple like that, right right, And then you would also 576 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:55,320 Speaker 1: have another at the base of your projectile. Uh, if 577 00:31:55,360 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: you have in fact a two stage firework. We'll talk 578 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:02,160 Speaker 1: about the different options in the next episode. But in 579 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,959 Speaker 1: the base of your firework, you would also have a 580 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:09,440 Speaker 1: lift charge which would be ignited another little gunpowder puck. Yeah, 581 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: so you would have that at the base of it, 582 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:13,720 Speaker 1: and that's what would provide it the energy to lift 583 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,440 Speaker 1: out of the mortar. The basically the tube you have 584 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 1: to fire it off into the sky. So it's it's 585 00:32:19,320 --> 00:32:22,080 Speaker 1: really a two chamber at least a minimum of two 586 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 1: chamber approaches if you're using the traditional method of launching, 587 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:28,800 Speaker 1: although the mouse House has come up with a totally 588 00:32:28,800 --> 00:32:31,920 Speaker 1: different way of launching fireworks that doesn't require that separate 589 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,640 Speaker 1: blast chamber. The lift chamber and that was part one 590 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 1: of our two part episodes on fireworks. We will have 591 00:32:38,920 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 1: part two tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed it. If you have 592 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:45,800 Speaker 1: suggestions for future episodes of tech Stuff, you can let 593 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:47,959 Speaker 1: me know on on Twitter the handle that we use 594 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:51,080 Speaker 1: as tech Stuff hs W, or you can download the 595 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,680 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app, which is free to use. You 596 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: can navigate over to the tech Stuff podcast page and 597 00:32:56,440 --> 00:32:59,600 Speaker 1: use little microphone icon to leave a voice message up 598 00:32:59,640 --> 00:33:01,920 Speaker 1: to thirty seconds in length let me know what you 599 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: would like to cover and again we'll have part two 600 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: tomorrow and I'll talk to you again really soon. Y 601 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,520 Speaker 1: text Stuff is an I heart Radio production. 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