Fireworks!
Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July! Last week was crazy so Fun Facts was on hold! It rained a lot over the weekend at my house but people managed to still set off fireworks in between the storms. I personally don’t do fireworks since one of my dogs is terrified of loud noises. So I stay home while both pups enjoy a lovely drug induced nap. But lots of people love fireworks! Some people watch professional shows and some people do their own fireworks at home. If you were a kid in the 1950-60s you might have set off these fireworks….
M-80s were super popular and are now super illegal! Nicknamed M-80 Salutes at the time, these were released onto the public market after WW2. Why did they come out at that time…well because the military didn’t need them anymore. Yep, military grade training explosives. The M-80 was used by the military in WW2 to train troops by simulating the noise of explosives in battle. Once the war was over why not clear out the backstock by selling them to the public? They were a huge hit in the 50s and 60s but started being looked at by the government in the 70s as maybe not a good idea. That’s because there were thousands of injuries, severe burns, lacerations, fires and even amputations from people setting these off (including kids). One source estimates that one year in the early 70s saw over 11,000 nationwide hospital visits linked to firework incidents mostly from the M-80 and the Cherry Bomb (another now illegal firework). The Quarter Stick firework was an even bigger M-80 that was blasting off limbs and killing people! So in 1966 the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned M-80s, cherry bombs, Quarter Sticks, and any other high-explosive device under the Child Protection Act. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms started enforcing the ban in the mid 70s. So just how powerful were these fireworks? Legal fireworks today must stay below a limit of 50mg of explosive powder per firework. The Cherry Bomb had 1 gram of flash powder. The M-80 had 3 grams (literally 60x the current legal limit)! Quarter Sticks had 10-30 grams!! Anyone found with illegal Quarter Sticks today gets a fast pass to prison. So next time you set off fireworks at home, be safe, buy them from a reputable source, and try not to lose any fingers!
https://www.bestfireworksstores.com/post/the-legacy-of-m80-firecrackers
