Fireworks have been around for about as long as modern human civilization. The earliest documentation of fireworks is from 7th century BC in the Tang Dynasty. From there they quickly spread around the world as a form of entertainment. The fireworks were used to accompany many festivities and were thought to dispel evil spirits and bring about good fortune.

Fireworks are almost always consist of a paper or pasteboard tubing, often decorated, which is then filled combustible material. This material is generally something called pyrotechnic stars, or a mixture of chemicals which ignite in a certain color.

Pyrotechnic stars generally consist of a fuel that allows the stars to burn, an oxidizer which supports the combustion of the fuel, color-producing chemicals, a binder to hold the pellets together, and something called a chlorine donor to provide strength to the color.