Hip hip hooray! It's national bubble tea day.
Ah, I love bubble tea!
Uh, Joy? Oh, Hi Elliot, you're my first guest. Guest?
For what? I'm having a party to celebrate the best day of the year.
April 30th. Is it your birthday?
No silly. It's national bubble tea day!
Here have some boba.
Awesome, thanks. Mmm, it's mango.
Mmm. It's also International Guide Dog Day, so I thought we could draw pictures of our favorite pooches together.
Aw, fun. And it's Hairstylist Appreciation Day.
Speaking of, do you like my new goddess braids?
I did them myself. Uh -huh.
Let's hear some more hairstylist appreciation, Elliot.
Oh, sorry. I love your goddess braids, Joel.
You did such a great job.
They're gorgeous. Ah, thank you.
I also set up a hairstyle station for everyone at the party so we can braid our hair while drawing pooches and drinking bubble tea.
Wow. I didn't know there were so many things to celebrate on April 30th.
I know. Now the only thing this party is missing is a grand finale.
I love April 30th. And I want this party to feel special, and colorful, and dramatic like Mia.
Why don't we watch the fireworks show?
There's a fireworks show?
Yeah, didn't you hear?
It's also International Jazz Day, so they're putting on a jazz concert and sending off fireworks.
The band's practicing outside.
Perfect! Ooh, I should petition to make April 30th International Fireworks Day, too!
Maybe give a -another day a chance?
No! It's gotta be April thirtieth.
I'll fire work it out Firework I'm joy.
Dolo here with my bud Elliot.
Hey, and this is forever ago from a p .m. Studios We're a non -profit public radio program.
That means you keep us going You can do that by joining smarty pass donating or buying a pencil case with my face on it Head over to forever ago or to show your support.
Thanks Now today Elliot, and I are celebrating April 30th Which is when a ton of different national and international holidays happened Apparently and to help us celebrate we're exploring the history of one of the most celebratory is inventions of all time fireworks those beautiful bursts of color and light that sound like You've probably seen them on July 4th if you're in the US or maybe on New Years Or on national Mr. Potato Head Day, which is today.
Oh my gosh! Could it be...
Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?!
Hello hello! Hi there Thanks for coming to my April 30th party!
Please help yourself to some boba tea Oh don't mind if I do Thank you, Joy.
Mm, yum yum. So, fireworks.
Elliot, what do you love about fireworks?
I thought they're colorful and they're just explosive.
Well, not the explosive fire, but the explosions are nice to watch. When they go boom?
Yes. Do you have any favorite types of fireworks?
I like the ones that spew out the little sparks.
Those ones are fun.
Oh, the ones that go like, pshoo, psst, psst, psst, and they make that kind of sound.
Is there, like, a certain color that you like?
Green is nice. Green is nice.
Have you ever seen it when they do, like, green and white and pink and, like, all the colors at the same time?
Maybe once. Yeah. Those are, like, special, special occasions like Mr. Potato Head Day.
If you could design a firework that does anything you want, what would it be like?
I think it would, like, shoot flowers or something.
Oh, yeah. Like, do you think it would be, like, flowers, like, flower sparkles or like real flowers petal stems?
Maybe the design. Oh, yeah.
Like a really complex design.
Very cool. A flower firework.
OK. And if you could invent any kind of holiday, what would it be?
Make tacos out of ice cream day.
Make tacos out of ice cream?
Yes. Could you tell me more about this special holiday?
Well, you'd have your tortilla, or like a hard shell taco shell and then you take a scoop of ice cream and you put it in and then you put a bunch of toppings.
Would you still do like tomato and lettuce or are we talking like sprinkles?
You could put on whatever you want it.
I love this holiday already, I'm going to put pop tarts on mine.
I love a pop dart, everybody knows it.
Fireworks are used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like National Raisin Day!
It's National Raisin Day, too?
Yes! Care for some ants on a log?
Or a handful of golden raisins fresh from the box?
Delicious! Mmm, maybe later.
Right now let's talk about where fireworks came from and who invented them.
Okay, more raisins for me.
Our story starts in ancient China around 2000 years ago.
People in ancient China did a really good job writing down their history, so we know a lot about them.
We know that Chinese society was deeply divided between the rich and the poor.
Poor farmers mostly lived in the countryside and grew grains like millet or rice.
Wealthy merchants and government officials often lived in cities, wore colorful silk clothes and listened to beautiful music at banquents and rituals.
And pretty much everyone, rich and poor, male and female had long hair.
Hair was believed to be a gift from your ancestors, so barely anyone got a haircut.
Around this time, the ancient Chinese also invented the first firecrackers.
Firecrackers are different from the fireworks we see in the sky because they don't fly up into the air or make big, colorful explosions.
They explode closer to the ground and make a loud sound, like this.
These ancient firecrackers were made using only two things, fire and bamboo.
Bamboo is a plant. It grows straight up toward the sky like grass.
Bamboo shoots are very hard and hollow inside, like a tube.
Bamboo grows all over China.
The ancient Chinese people realized that when it burns, bamboo makes a loud popping sound.
The air inside the bamboo heats up and explodes the hard shoot of the plant.
So people threw bamboo shoots in the fire to protect themselves from wild animals.
Some people also believed in evil spirits and used bamboo firecrackers to scare them off.
How much longer do we have to travel before we get to this city?
Aww... I don't know!
Whoa! Did you hear that?
Maybe it's a tiger.
Or a wild boar. Or the evil spirit of my great Aunt Fayyan coming to haunt us.
Yikes. Throw a bamboo shoot on the fire to scare it away.
And today, the Chinese word for firecrackers is actually exploding bamboo.
What? No way. Yes way.
I have proof. The word for firecracker has two syllables, two sounds in Chinese.
bào zhú bào means burst or explode.
zhú means bamboo, so bursting bamboo.
That's bào zhú or firecracker.
That's Dr. Haiyuan Yuan.
He's a writer, translator and retired professor, and he knows a lot about the history of firecrackers and fireworks.
Dr. Yuen told us an amazing legend about ancient bamboo firecrackers, which also happens to be the origin story of the Chinese New Year, my second favorite day of the year after Dia de Los Niños.
Speaking of… Hello?
Hey, it's all the kids I invited for Dia de Los Niños aka Children's Day also April 30th.
C'mon in guys. Elliot and I are recording an episode about the history of fireworks.
Help yourself to raisins and boba or watch some Bugs Bunny cartoons cuz it's National Bugs Bunny Day Too!
What's up, doc? Cool!
Thanks, Joy. I love boba.
Now, the Chinese New Year happens at the beginning of spring in China.
So it's sometimes called the Spring Festival.
And firecrackers and fireworks are a big part of the Chinese New Year.
According to legend, the tradition of exploding firecrackers and fireworks on the new year all started with a monster called… the Nian.
Dr. Yuan told us the story.
A long time ago, people believed that a terrible beast, known as or called Nian, with sharp teeth, big eyes, and a loud roar, would come down into the village from the mountain to attack the villagers.
And each spring the villagers lived in fear of the terrible monster.
Until one day, there came an old man, a white beard, white haired, old man.
He was actually a god from heaven.
He came to the village and tell the villagers, Hey, I know how to conquer, bite, this Nian beast. It fears three things.
One is the red color.
One is the loud noise.
And one is the bright light.
That old man, who was actually a god, told the villagers how to scare off the beast. Every spring he said, when the new year begins, make everything red.
Put red paper on the walls of your home, and dress in red clothing.
Next, make loud noises by burning bamboo firecrackers and playing loud drums. And finally, light candles, lanterns, and fires, and keep them burning all night.
The villagers followed his advice, and it worked!
The beast left them alone.
And people in China still do these things!
Even today, by the way, during the Chinese Eve, the Chinese are not supposed to go to sleep, to turn off the lights.
And also, each of them wear, especially the children, wear red cloths.
And people today set off firecrackers on New Year's Day.
So that's how firecrackers became part of the Chinese New Year celebration.
But what about the fireworks we see today?
You know, the ones that shoot up in the sky?
They're a lot bigger and brighter than bamboo shoot firecrackers.
Excellent question.
And we're going to answer it, in a bit.
But first, Elliot, why don't you and I play a game of...
First Things First!
This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time.
Since we're talking about celebrations, like the Chinese New Year, let's talk about other things we use to celebrate.
Glow sticks, party balloons and bubbles.
Elliot, which do you think came first, which came second and which came most recently in history?
I feel like party balloons because those are rubber, but I could be totally wrong.
Yeah, yeah. Uh, second, glow sticks.
Mm -hmm. And then bubbles.
And then bubbles. Okay.
I like the idea of rubber being first. I mean, that's an old material, right?
Yes. So, like, maybe...
Maybe that could have been, like, the first one.
And then also, like, when you think of, like, oldie time stuff, like birthday parties.
Didn't they have balloons there, too?
I don't know. That's my logic, I don't know.
We're out on this ship together, Elliot.
We're just trying to get to shore.
Okay, and then second is glow sticks.
Why do you think glowsticks came after balloons?
Because usually when the newer thing, you think the newer thing would come less, but it never does.
Yeah. So that's just like a strategy right there.
Okay. And then finally bubbles.
Is there a reason that you think bubbles is most recent?
Because there wasn't another place to put it.
I bet you're really good at like chess and games, aren't you?
I'm okay at chess. Yeah, you got good strategy.
Okay. So just to round off here, we have party balloons and then glow sticks, and then bubbles.
Is that your final answer?
Yes. Yeah, all right.
We'll hear the answers at the end of the episode right after the credits.
So stick around. We're working on an episode all about the girl scouts.
An organization that brings girls together to help their community, build practical skills and have fun.
they also earn badges for their accomplishments.
Which got us wondering, if you could give your best friend, sibling, parent or someone else a badge for something they do, who would you give it to, what would it be, and why?
So Elliot, what about you?
I think I give my mom a badge for being a great chef.
Oh yeah, great chef.
What kind of stuff did she make?
Earlier she made like this really good shrimp curry.
It was delicious. Oh, that sounds so good.
Listeners, we want to hear from you too.
Record yourself and send it to us at forevergo .org slash contact.
You can also send us questions and fanart.
Yes, like a painting of the most exciting fireworks display you've ever seen.
Or a drawing of Mr. Potato Head.
Or maybe even raisin art?
And keep listening.
Brainzon Universe is a family of podcasts for kids and their adults.
Since you're a fan of forever ago, you'll love the other shows in our universe.
Come on, let's explore.
It's alien exercise hour.
Hi -ya! Hoo -hah! While I stowich my snoodles and bounce on my tramp -a -lini, I'll listen to a new podcast. Ha -ha!
I'm going to try Brains On the Best Science Podcast Ever!
It's starting, yay!
Hello and welcome to Pop Planet, the only show that gets you up close and personal with space!
I'm your host Star Eden.
Zzzzzzzt, come back here podcast. Must listen to Brains On now.
Listen to Brains On, wherever you get your podcasts.
You're listening to Forever Ago.
I'm Joy. And I'm Elliot.
And we're talking about the explosive history of fireworks.
We're going to see an amazing fireworks display tonight in honor of...
International Jazz Day, Bugs Bunny Day, Dio De Los Ninios, National Bubble Tea Day, International Guide Dog Day, National Raisin Day, National Mr. Potato Head Day...
What am I forgetting?
I think that's all of them.
Wait! I forgot it's also National Adopt -A -Shelter Pet Day!
Oh, I should go adopt more shelter pets right now!
Maybe we finish this episode first, Joy.
We just heard how the earliest firecrackers were made from bamboo.
Right, and that people have celebrated the Chinese New Year with firecrackers for centuries.
But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo.
They don't just pop near the ground.
They just soar into the sky and burst into colors.
That's because they're made using gunpowder.
The Chinese also invented gunpowder.
By mistake. Wha wha wha??
Around 1400 years ago there were many religions flowering in China, including Taoism, which is still practiced today.
Taoist religion is about harmony and balance, and many Taoists believed in immortality, which means to live forever.
Taoist monks, or the people who kept the Taoist traditions alive, spent a lot of time doing something called alchemy.
Alchemy is like chemistry.
You combine different ingredients, heat them up, and try to create something valuable, like gold, a potion, or precious stones.
Daoist monks most likely tried to make potions for eternal life.
These potions were especially popular with Chinese emperors and other monks who wanted to live forever.
One day, some monks were mixing together a few different ingredients.
How about some charcoal?
and... Potassium nitrate and...
Sulphur. When they accidentally invented gunpowder.
Cough, cough, cough, Somehow I don't think we should eat that.
That stuff's not gonna help me live forever.
It's gonna do the opposite.
Yeah. But... let's make it again.
The monks experimented some more.
Soon they had a recipe for gunpowder.
It made a much louder sound than the bamboo firecrackers.
So they stuffed bamboo shoots in paper packets with gunpowder, lit them on fire, and cut blue -y.
Not long afterwards, the Chinese figured out how to make fireworks shoot up into the air and create little orange flares in the sky.
Like the fireworks we see today.
Speaking of which, it's almost time to go watch the big show.
I can't wait! I love fireworks!
Yeah, me too. Me too.
You know, as a giant potato head I am not a fan.
Fireworks are so loud they make me want to take my ears off.
And they're so smoky.
It makes me feel like an old fried potato.
I get it Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
Fireworks aren't everyone's cup of bubble tea.
My dog gets kind of nervous when he hears the loud bangs fireworks make too.
I wish there was a less noisy version of them.
There is. And it uses drones.
little robot helicopters operated by remote control.
Oh yeah, drone shows are awesome.
They put lights on a bunch of drones and make them dance together like synchronized swimmers to create images in the sky.
They can make almost any image you want.
Bugs Bunny, Boba T.
They can even spell out April 30th rocks.
And actually, China makes more drones than any other country in the world.
Most drones are made in a city called Shenzhen.
In 2024, the city hosted a drone spectacular with over 10 ,000 drones synchronized…together.
Oh yeah, I've read about that in the Guinness Book of World Records!
The fireworks are starting!
Wow! Wow! Fireworks are colorful, loud explosives used to celebrate all sorts of holidays and special events like the Chinese New Year.
The earliest form of fireworks were exploding bamboo firecrackers.
But the fireworks we see today aren't made of bamboo.
They're made of gunpowder.
Which Chinese Taoist monks invented by mistake.
They were trying to create a potion of eternal life.
We still use gunpowder in the firecrackers and fireworks we know and love today.
And if you don't love how loud and smoky fireworks are, drone fireworks are a cool way to celebrate.
This episode was written by Rosie DuPont.
It was produced by Ruby Guthrie and Nico Gonzales -Whistler.
Our editors are Sandin Totten, and Shayla Farzan.
Fact checking by Rebecca Rand.
Engineering help from Alex Alinson and Jess Berg with sound design by Rachel Breeze.
Original theme music by Mark Sanchez.
We had additional production help from the rest of the Brains on Universe team, Mollie Bloom, Anna Goldfield, Lauren Humphurt, Joshua Ray, Mark Sanchez, Charlotte Traver, Anna Wegle, and Aran Woldesalasi.
Beth Perlman is our Executive Producer and the executives in charge of APM Studios are Chandra Kavati and Joanne Griffith.
Special thanks to Dr. Hai -Wong Yuan, Brant Miller, Erin O 'Malley, Joe Goetz, and Kim Parker and Kim Parker's Trip Curry.
And if you want access to ad -free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our smartypass.
Okay Elliot, are you ready to hear the answers for first things first?
Yes, I am. Okay. So, as a reminder, we're putting these three items in order and this was your order.
Number one was party balloons, number two was glow sticks, and number three was bubbles.
Right? Yes. Yes. All right, here we go.
The answers to first things first. And the first thing is bubbles.
Bubbles. That is what I did not see that coming.
Bubbles was first, and the first bubbles was invented in the 1600s.
So soap bubbles have been around since ancient times, which I didn't know.
Maybe I should listen to this soap episode again.
But we know for certain that kids have played with soap bubbles for at least 400 years since the 1600s.
We know this because there are European paintings from that time that show kids blowing bubbles with clay pipes.
Blowing bubbles for fun took off in the United States when a company called ChemToy started selling bubble solution in 1940.
Whoa! Could you imagine blowing bubbles with a clay pipe?
No. Do you think it would taste really dusty?
I bet and like chalky.
Yeah. But the next one, so we had bubbles first and then second was party balloons, so party balloons were invented in 1824 and a chemist and physicist Michael Faraday invented the rubber balloon.
They were designed to be used in science experiments but by the late 1800s, people were partying with them.
Those were the birthday parties I was talking about.
I knew they had them.
I knew they had birthday party balloons back then.
I knew it. Americans invented the first sausage balloons in 1912.
The sausage balloons in like like length.
I'm assuming like sausage links or like the clown ones?
Yeah, like the ones clown used to get to twist up and make like horses and stuff.
And people started twisting them into cool shapes like horses in the 1930s and 40s balloon poodle anyone And then, okay, so it could be a poodle or a horse, which one do you usually go for?
Uh, poodle. A poodle, poodle, I'll go with poodle too, a green poodle.
So that means last but not least was glow sticks.
And that was invented in 1962.
So organic chemist Edwin Chandras discovered the chemical reaction needed to make glow sticks in 1962.
He discovered that when you mix hydrogen peroxide with another chemical called oxalate ester you get a substance that glows.
You add some dye to the mix and you can make glow sticks turn different colors.
And don't worry, the liquid in glow sticks is generally non -toxic, but if your glow stick breaks you still shouldn't swallow it.
I wish i would have known that a week ago Were you surprised by any of these answers?
Bubbles, 1600s, party balloons, 1824.
Bubbles I did not expect.
Yeah, I didn't see that one coming either.
I also think the balloons are pretty cool.
Like I didn't realize that they were going back that far, 1824?
I guess it would make sense that they were for science.
Yeah, for science! Well you did a great job, Eliot.
Great guesses. Join us in two weeks for a new episode all about maple syrup.
Ooh, maple syrup. Yummy!
Thanks for listening.
You
