Fourth of July

With the Fourth of July coming up soon, dazzling displays of fireworks and firecrackers will herald the arrival of our nation’s Independence Day. To explore some brief historical facts about firecrackers, try this search in one of our magazine databases:

1. Go to the SFPL Home Page and click on Articles & Databases. You will need a San Francisco Public Library card to get into the databases from outside the Library.
2. Click on the EBSCOHost Magazines database.
3. In the Advanced Search mode, enter the keywords Fourth of July AND firecrackers.
4. Here is the citation: The Big Bang. By: Lee, R. V.American History, Aug 2005, Vol. 40 Issue 3, p68-69, 2p, 2c.

Here is an excerpt:

“Fireworks and firecrackers were delighting people long before the discovery of the New World, and in Colonial America they continued to mark special occasions. John Adams had proclaimed that the nation's birthday "Ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore."