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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Tassili n’Ajjer, Sahara, Algeria
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Sunny day, sweepin the clouds away
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Nothing plain about it
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Inhale and exhale, it’s Yoga Day
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Glacier cave in Iceland
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A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
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Festivus
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International Moon Day
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Sky island views
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European river otter, Netherlands
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International Rock Day
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Happy holidays!
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Islands of the Salish Sea
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We did not invent this, honest
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The confluence of the Arve and Rhône Rivers
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Fin whales: A success story
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A bridge too Fawr
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Kangaroo family for National Hugging Day
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A special day for a special cat
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A meerkat stands alone
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Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri
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Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
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Bathing in the light of Pride
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In Apia Harbor for Samoan Independence Day
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A crested partridge
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Notes from an underground lake
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National Public Lands Day
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Reflections on the mighty Amazon
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Pride 2022
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The Bazaruto Archipelago of Mozambique