“Ninety-nine successive years have we set aside one whole day for killing small boys, putting out eyes, rending limbs [and] scaring horses . . . as a glorification and symbol of the American idea of freedom.”
–TRIBUNE EDITORIAL, JULY 4, 1875
JULY 4 is the day Americans celebrate the power of the individual over the tyranny of the state. ILLINOIS RESIDENTS do this, of course, by buying and setting off illegal fireworks. Fire-jittery Chicago was a relatively easy sell on a pyrotechnics ban. But every June, fireworks stands sprouted just outside city limits so that Chicago kids’ favorite finger-removing explosives were just a bike or train ride away. Finally, in 1942, the state banned just about all fireworks without a permit. But American ingenuity always finds a way–in this case, to Indiana.
No. 1 injury-producing firework in Illinois between June 23 and July 20, 2006: BOTTLE ROCKETS. No. 2: SPARKLERS.
Typical length of a fireworks show 30 years ago: 1 HOUR. Typical length today: 20 MINUTES.
Pounds of consumer fireworks used by Americans in 2000: 102 MILLION. In 2005: 255 MILLION.
Sources: Tribune archives, Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, Nova Online, American Pyrotechnics Association. Photo from Tribune archives.
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nwatkins@tribune.com
