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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Tuesday 4 July 2023

What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions

By JIM SALTER juries happened in the pe-
Associated Press riod around the Fourth of
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The Fourth July.
of July is Americana at its About one-third of the inju-
core: parades and cook- ries were to the head, face,
outs and cold beer and, of ears or eyes. Finger, hand
course, fireworks. and leg injuries are com-
Those pyrotechnics also mon, too.
make it an especially dan- “I have seen people who
gerous holiday, typically re- have blown off fingers,”
sulting in more than 10,000 said Dr. Tiffany Osborn, an
trips to the emergency emergency room physician
room. Yet fireworks remain at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in
at the center of Indepen- St. Louis.
dence Day, a holiday 247 “I’ve seen people who
years in the making. have lost eyes. I’ve seen
Here are five things to know people who have signifi-
about July Fourth, includ- cant facial injuries.”
ing the origin of the holiday Children under 15 make up
and how fireworks became nearly one-third of those in-
part of the tradition. jured by fireworks. Sparklers
WHAT’S THE ORIGIN OF IN- often are blamed for burns
DEPENDENCE DAY? to children under age 5.
The holiday celebrates the Osborn suggested giving
Second Continental Con- Dominique Tafoya arranges some of the new fireworks stock at a local fireworks concession small children glow sticks or
gress’ unanimous adoption stand, July 1, 2011, in Phoenix. colorful streamers instead.
of the Declaration of Inde- Associated Press For those planning to shoot
pendence on July 4, 1776, off fireworks, Heckman
a document announcing in a letter to his wife, Abi- Adams was so adamant honest with you.” urged finding a flat, hard,
that he turned down invita-
Sales are expected to rise
gail, dated July 3, 1776.
the colonies’ separation level surface away from
from Great Britain. Fireworks were around tions to festivals and other another $100 million this structures and other things
centuries before America events, even while serv-
year, the association said.
One year later, according that could catch fire. The
to the Library of Congress, became a nation. The ing as the nation’s second It helps that the Fourth of person responsible for the
American Pyrotechnics As-
president. Ironically, Adams July is on a Tuesday, creat-
a spontaneous celebration fireworks should avoid al-
in Philadelphia marked the sociation says many histori- and Thomas Jefferson, the ing essentially a four-day cohol. Children should nev-
weekend.
ans believe fireworks were primary author of the Dec-
anniversary of American in- laration of Independence, ARE FIREWORKS DANGER- er ignite them.
dependence. first developed in the sec- OUS? Osborn encouraged hav-
ond century B.C. in ancient both died on the 50th anni-
But across the burgeoning ing a bucket or hose near-
nation, observations didn’t China by throwing bam- versary of the document’s Despite widespread edu- by in case of fire or explo-
boo stalks into fires, causing formal adoption, July 4, cation efforts, thousands
become commonplace sion. Shoot off one at a
until after the War of 1812. explosions as the hollow air 1826. of Americans are badly time and walk away quick-
HOW POPULAR ARE FIRE-
pockets overheated.
injured by fireworks each
It quickly took off: The Li- WORKS? ly after igniting, she said,
brary of Congress notes By the 15th century, fire- year, and this year is no ex- and never relight or handle
works were widely used for Consumer sales of fireworks ception.
that major historic events a malfunctioned firework.
in the 19th century, such as religious festivals and pub- have grown rapidly over Late Saturday night, fire- When done, shovel up the
fighters and medics were
lic entertainment in Europe the past two decades.
groundbreaking ceremo- remains and soak them be-
nies for the Erie Canal and and early U.S. settlers car- Statistics from the Ameri- called to Lexington Town- fore disposing.q
Pyrotechnics
Asso-
ship, a suburb of Kansas
ried on those traditions, the can
the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, were scheduled association said. ciation show that in 2000, City, Kansas, for reports of
HAS A PRESIDENT EVER RE-
American consumers spent a shed on fire and arrived
to coincide with Fourth of FUSED TO CELEBRATE?
$407 million on fireworks. to find fireworks actively ex-
July festivities. Presidents from George By 2022, that figure rose ploding from the burning
HOW DID FIREWORKS BE-
CAME A JULY FOURTH TRA- Washington to Joe Biden to $2.3 billion. The biggest shed and several people ARUBA
DITION? have celebrated the na- jump came during the CO- lying injured on the ground.
The display of pyrotechnics tion’s birth on the Fourth of VID-19 pandemic, when Firefighters, medics and lo- CLEAN
July, with one exception: public fireworks displays cal police dragged the vic-
has been a big part of In-
dependence Day from the Adams. were shut down. Consumer tims from the area to safe-
ty, and four people were
His letter to his wife aside, sales jumped from $1 bil-
outset. Founding Father
John Adams saw it coming. Adams refused to cele- lion in 2019 to $1.9 billion in taken to hospitals two with
brate the holiday on July 4 2020.
serious injuries, Northwest
Commemoration of
America’s independence because he felt July 2 was “People went to the fire- Consolidated Fire District
the real Independence works store beginning Me-
Chief Todd Maxton said in
“ought to be solemnized
with Pomp and Parade, Day. Why? It was on July 2, morial Day weekend and a statement.
1776, that the Continental they just didn’t stop,” said The U.S. Consumer Product
with Shews, Games, Sports,
Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illu- Congress voted in favor of Julie Heckman, executive Safety Commission reports
the resolution for indepen-
director of the American that in 2022, 10,200 people
minations from one End of IS MORE
this Continent to the other dence, though the Dec- Pyrotechnics Association. were treated at emergen-
cy rooms and 11 deaths
laration of Independence “They were firing off fire-
from this Time forward for- DUSHI
ever more,” Adams wrote wasn’t formally adopted works all of 2020. It shocked were blamed on fireworks.
until two days later. the industry, to be quite About three-quarters of in-