Did y'all know that the #July4th fireworks are a phenomenon indirectly created by Tipu Sultan? There's a detailed thread about it in my RTs, but here's a short summary.
Tipu pioneered these bright rockets that made night combat and ambushes possible. He was a top tech genius!
Tipu pioneered these bright rockets that made night combat and ambushes possible. He was a top tech genius!
The rockets helped him keep the British at bay for many years. And many other such tech innovations.
Brits were like, let's copy these rockets also. Took them a while. But they did.
And then were like, America, we're coming back. And used them in 1812. At Fort McHenry.
Brits were like, let's copy these rockets also. Took them a while. But they did.
And then were like, America, we're coming back. And used them in 1812. At Fort McHenry.
Francis Scott Key wrote a poem about the battle which included the evocative line "and the rocket's red glare the bombs bursting in air, gave proof of the night that our flag was still there".
And hence fireworks for July 4th.
Straight line from Tipu Sultan. 😊
And hence fireworks for July 4th.
Straight line from Tipu Sultan. 😊
Star spangled banner was just poem for over a century. Extremely popular but still just a poem. US didn't have a national anthem for almost 150 years.
They only picked one cos Olympics started and it got annoying to decide every 4 years what song should be played for medalists.
They only picked one cos Olympics started and it got annoying to decide every 4 years what song should be played for medalists.
Proof through* the night. Typo up there.
Btw the American founding fathers had a great relationship with Hyder and Tipu.
Star Spangled banner was also made very popular after the MLB started playing it in the seventh inning "stretch" (the break). That plus Olympics. Heh we are so sports obsessed!
Specifically the rockets used in the War of 1812. The Chinese invented rockets years ago but it was Tipu's design that kinda took them to the next level.
https://twitter.com/Meetasengupta/status/1544205023059423232?t=P_8QvPrjG1bHvxYvUZg7LA&s=19
America celebrates Independence Day with fireworks specifically as a reference to that line and that battle about how (Tipu Sultan style) rockets "gave proof through the night that our flag was still there", cos it was the last real attack on US sovereignty.
They were *NOT* Tipu's rockets. They were British rockets copied from Tipu. And badly at that. They didn't really achieve the purpose, bombarding Baltimore into submission. That attack failed and Brits kinda gave up any real plan to recapture the colonies.
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