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:
-
Saint Dwynwen s Day
-
Mitsumata blossoms
-
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia
-
Russell lupines, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
-
Legacy mural in Philadelphia
-
A hit ballet, long after its debut
-
Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
-
Gray days ahead in Monterey
-
Fashion models of the avian world
-
World Frog Day
-
Denali National Park
-
International Day of Peace
-
The Cutty Sark turns 150
-
National Cherry Blossom Festival
-
Busy building wetlands
-
Sailing across the ice
-
Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
-
A cozy winter village
-
Clouds over the River of Grass
-
Pearl of the Adriatic
-
One for the books
-
Spectacular views below!
-
The Cordillera de la Sal in the Cordillera Domeyko Range of Chile
-
Is there a bug-egg emoji for this?
-
Hey neighbor, it s World Space Week!
-
Negratín Reservoir, Granada, Spain
-
Pantaleu
-
Fiddlehead fern fronds
-
A ‘city’ within Valencia
-
Veterans Day