The citizens of Morton, Minnesota, are probably doing a repeat performance of this pyrotechnic display today as they join the rest of the US in a celebration of Independence Day. If you want to blow the minds of your family and friends at the barbecue, steer the conversation toward fireworks and casually drop this truth bomb: Gunpowder, the fuel that makes the fireworks explode, was invented in ancient China by Taoist alchemists who hoped to create an immortality elixir. That’s some dramatic irony, at least in hindsight. Be safe!
Let’s celebrate
Today in History
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We did not invent this, honest
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Spotted Lake emerges
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Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
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International Mountain Day
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Sailing across the ice
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Assembling the Smithsonian
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Great Fountain Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
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Manarola, Cinque Terre National Park, Liguria, Italy
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The (Inca) empire strikes back
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Mute swans
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National Napping Day
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World Reef Awareness Day
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Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
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Welcome to Scotland s garden
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And to think that I saw it in Cappadocia
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On the rebirth of the Olympic Games
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Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
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Native American Heritage Day
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Welcome to El Cervantino
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Bournemouth beach huts
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In the Highlands for Saint Andrew s Day
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Polar Bear Week
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A day for our oceans
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Summer solstice
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Lucian Blaga National Theater, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Celebrating sea otters
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Celebrating World Water Day
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Celebrating National Panda Day
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Summer solstice
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West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut
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