Posts Tagged ‘armistice day’

A Short History of Fireworks and Veteran’s Day

An instrument that explodes using a fuse is called a firework. Some are used for exploding on the ground and some are launched into the air for exploding. Fireworks are for display and celebration purposes or for scaring away the birds. When we think about fireworks, war comes to our mind. There is a public holiday in US to honor the service men and women who served in defense of the nation. It is called Veteran’s Day.

When we look into the history of fireworks, they were invented by the Chinese over 2000 years ago. Chinese were the first to use fireworks although early fireworks were very different from the fireworks of today. It was discovered that green bamboo was used to explode on an open fire caused by the air pockets trapped inside the structure of the bamboo stalk and it was known for scaring people and wild animals.

The fireworks industry was developed in China by 1200 and hundreds of manufacturers were constantly making efforts to improve the technology of fireworks. This was significantly important to the Chinese military who would often win the battles because of its strategic use to frighten the enemy.

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Remembering Veterans Day From Long Ago

Armistice Day celebrated the end of World War I in 1918 and was the predecessor to Veterans Day. The fighting on the Western Front ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. This peace was ratified in the Treaty of Versailles the following year. The day was set aside to honor those who fought in “the war to end all wars,” particularly those who died.

Observance of the armistice was most popular in Europe (France still calls it Armistice Day). Over the years people in many countries took to wearing poppies and placing flowers on soldiers’ graves in honor of the fallen soldiers from WWI. The poppy was made popular by the now famous poem by a Scottish war veteran, which began with “In Flanders Field the poppies grow.” It was not until 1938 when the United States officially recognized Armistice Day. Most pre-boomers learned these facts in elementary school.

Veterans Day replaced the one-war holiday in 1954 so all those who served in the United States military, both in war and peace, could be collectively honored on November 11th each year. This year might be a good time to remember those who are in harms way in Iraq and Afghanistan. We owe all those serving in our Armed Forces a “thank you” for protecting our country and our way of life.

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