More than 1,000 years ago, most likely in China, someone made the serendipitous discovery that a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate burns with startling speed and flash. The mixture, ...

Paul E. Smith is president of the Pyrotechnics Guild International, Inc. He is a member of the American Pyrotechnics Association, the National Fireworks Association, and the International Pyrotechnics ...