A forthcoming book describes Philly’s role in fireworks history, from the first Independence Day to calls for safety

Thirty-five years in media and 20 years writing books “mainly about the history of disasters” shaped the journey of John Withington, whose latest book details the history of fireworks — a history in which Philadelphia plays a notable role.

The British author is scheduled to release A History of Fireworks from Their Origins to the Present Day in October. In his research, Withington found that Philadelphia was one of the many key cities in developing fireworks. From the first U.S. Independence Day on July 4, 1776, to modern-day displays of skies lit with colorful lights, fireworks have maintained a history in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania as a whole.

Ahead of July Fourth, Withington spoke with The Inquirer to discuss the creation of the book, the history of fireworks, and the important role Philadelphia played in their development.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

It came out of a discussion with my publisher. He pointed out that there had not been a comprehensive history of fireworks since about 1949, and that even that had not really been a world history. I had always wanted to write a history of an everyday thing with which we were all familiar, so this seemed the perfect opportunity.

I was inspired by memories of when I was growing up in Manchester, England, in the 1950s. Fireworks then meant “Bonfire Night,” 5 November, when people celebrated the failure of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, by letting off fireworks and burning a “guy” — an effigy of the conspirator Guy Fawkes. In those days I never saw fireworks at private celebrations such as birthdays or weddings, or even on New Year’s Eve. It took me about three years to research and write.

On 3 July 1776, the day before the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, who would become the United States’ second president, wrote to his wife that the next day would be “the most memorable in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival,” to be marked with parades, bonfires, and what he called “illuminations.” In other words, fireworks.

On 4 July 1776, the War of Independence was still being fought, and the celebrations were pretty muted, with a couple of dozen rockets being set off in Philadelphia. The following year, despite continued hostilities, the city of the Liberty Bell put on a much bigger show, including, according to the Virginia Gazette, “a grand exhibition of fireworks, which began and concluded with thirteen rockets on the commons, and the city was beautifully illuminated.” Boston and other cities rejoiced, too, and the tradition of fireworks on 4 July was firmly established. By 1783, ordinary folk were starting to hold their own celebrations, with a Philadelphia merchant advertising “a large and curious assortment of fireworks” for sale.

In 1876, leading British pyrotechnist Charles Brock put on four displays at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. According to Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, this “far surpassed anything of the kind seen in this country.” The climax was a barrage of 2,000 large rockets. ... The Fourth of July display attracted more than a quarter of a million people.

Not everyone was thrilled that Independence Day came to mean fireworks. A Pennsylvania man confided to his diary in 1866: “4 July is the most hateful day of the year, when the birth of democracy is celebrated by license and noise.” There were stories of fireworks being thrown at horses or put under milk bottles or flowerpots so the explosion flung out nasty shrapnel. Around the same time, in Philadelphia, it was said that “as a general rule, 30 or 40 houses are set afire every 4 July.”

On 4 July 1903, 466 people were killed in firework accidents and nearly 4,000 injured. ... The Playground Association of America noted, “The killed and injured at the battle of Bunker Hill were only 1,474 as compared with 1,622 killed and injured while celebrating Fourth of July in 1909.” In 1903 a Pennsylvania lawyer named Charles Pennypacker [who is from West Chester] had decided to do something about it.”

He urged people to move to a “quiet and sane” celebration, suggesting that rather than letting off fireworks, they should pass “a quiet day under the trees” or bake a nice cake, and spend their money on “sandwiches instead of squibs.” According to a local newspaper, young men in his area “resented” his initiative, and at midnight on July 3, 1904, a “large number gathered outside his house with Roman candles and other fireworks and created merry hell for the next fifteen minutes.”

But across America, Pennypacker’s ideas inspired the movement for a “Safe and Sane Fourth.” The year he spoke out, the mayor of Chicago banned the discharges of fireworks, firecrackers, gunpowder, or other explosives in any alley, backyard, or other confined space. Cannon crackers got a complete ban, as did firearms, dynamite and putting explosives on the tracks of any street railway.

The story of fireworks from their mysterious origins as a by-product of the search for eternal life to the pyrotechnic spectaculars of today.

How they appeared in Europe in the 14th century, enlivening state occasions such as coronations, as royal families competed for star pyrotechnists with big money. ... In the 19th [century], they would conquer the British Empire, being carried through jungles on the heads of porters to reach its most remote corners, while colors got brighter and more vivid, and fads like “living fireworks” emerged. The 20th century saw the computer revolution that has brought today’s breathtaking shows televised across the globe with ever-more-audacious effects.

And fireworks are not just for fun. They have been deployed on battlefields for centuries, while in peacetime, they have been used to rescue wrecked mariners, deliver mail, or even prevent hail storms. But they can also be dangerous, and they have been at the center of many accidents. Now they also face new challenges, with growing concern over pollution and the effect they have on animals.