Big Bang!

Ever wonder what would happen if an entire fireworks show got set off all at once?

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Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over forty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. Contact Us

Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 05, 2012
Category:

Comments

Sure its short, but its very cool too!

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 07/05/12 at 09:45 PM

A stoner's vision of paradise.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/05/12 at 11:49 PM

I don't know how to do a posting, but I wanted to mention that SPAM just turned 75.

Posted by BMN on 07/06/12 at 01:26 AM

I'm not sure who I feel sorrier for: the crowd who were expecting a longer show, or the person whose fault it was that it all went up at once, and who now has a new nickname involving the word premature.

Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 07/06/12 at 10:36 AM

This is nothing. Way back in 1988 or so, it might have been 1987 or 1989, the fireworks display in Gillette, Wyoming was the quickest ever. They still fired them off by hand using road flares and when they lit one the launch tube fell over and it went off on the ground setting off every last one. We were seated just over a mile away from the launch site and you could feel the ground rumbling under you with all the explosions.

There were, unfortunately, a few injuries, but it is still the most epic display I've ever seen and it only lasted about two minutes.

Posted by Ceredur on 07/06/12 at 12:17 PM

Boo-Koo years ago the blew-up the barge that was parked in the middle of the Mississippi for the show. One died, IIRC and the others, that got into the river escaped with only some burns.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/06/12 at 04:11 PM

I don't have to imagine it -- I saw it. Well, not this one. It was back in the late 80s or early 90s; don't remember which exactly. But it was the last time the city of West St Paul had a fireworks display for their city celebrations in June. Firework went off, BOOM! Second firework went off, BOOM! And then FOOOOM! All the rest of them went off in a big pink flash on the beach of Thompson Lake and that was it. Killed a fireman, IIRC. That tends to damper my "hahah, silly people" reaction to the San Diego incident. All I can say is thank god nobody got hurt this time.

Posted by Calli Arcale on 07/09/12 at 01:02 PM

Now-a-days the big shows are all electronically programmed with no human intervention required. You'll note that all 3 barrages went up at the exact same time in the exact same manner. It's just safer.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 07/09/12 at 01:24 PM

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