Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire

When you’re ready to learn more about the history, science, and spectacle of fireworks, the Othmer Library and archival collections have you covered.

Part of America’s 250th birthday celebration, this sparkling new exhibition explores the origins of and the science behind fireworks.

The March 21 event features the Philly-born invention of the first paper match folder.

‘Flash! Bang! Boom!’ opens April 10 as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration.

This collection features materials related to the history and science of fireworks, gunpowder, and other explosives.

Pyro enthusiasts converge on Lake Havasu City, Arizona, for an annual event known as the Western Winter Blast.

Maxim was a chemist and inventor known for his work on weapons, particularly smokeless gunpowder.

An inconspicuous technology sparks revolution on the subcontinent.

How popular narratives of the atomic age obscure the bomb’s first victims.

Follow the birth, life, and demise of the Hercules Powder Company, which once dominated the explosives industry in the United States.

The founder of the prestigious Nobel Prizes made his fortune with a big bang by inventing dynamite, a stabilized form of nitroglycerin.

The world’s first plastic made Hollywood possible—and killed thousands of people along the way.