Fireworks were not invented by a single named person in the modern sense, but rather developed in ancient China over many centuries, starting with accidental discoveries of gunpowder and bamboo explosions.

Where and when they began

The earliest form of fireworks started in China more than 2,000 years ago, around 200 BCE. People noticed that when green bamboo was thrown into a fire, the air and sap inside would heat up and cause the bamboo to burst with a loud “pop”. These exploding bamboo stalks were used as early firecrackers to scare away evil spirits and bad luck during festivals and religious events.

The invention of gunpowder

Around the 9th century CE (during the Tang or early Song Dynasty), Chinese alchemists were searching for an elixir of immortality when they accidentally mixed charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate). This mixture, the first true gunpowder, burned violently and could explode when confined in a tube. When this powder was packed into bamboo or paper tubes and lit, it created much louder bangs and bright flashes — the first real fireworks.

Who is credited with “inventing” fireworks?

No single inventor is known, but a monk named Li Tian (also spelled Li Tan) from Liuyang in Hunan Province is widely credited in Chinese tradition with inventing the controlled firecracker around 1,000 years ago, during the Song Dynasty. He is said to have developed bamboo or paper tubes filled with gunpowder and fitted with a fuse, making them safer and more predictable. To this day, Liuyang remains one of the world’s biggest fireworks manufacturing centers, and April 18 is celebrated there as the “Firecracker Festival” in his honor.

Why were fireworks invented?

Fireworks were originally created for several reasons:

  • Spiritual/religious purposes : To frighten away evil spirits and bring good luck during festivals, weddings, and New Year celebrations.
  • Military use : Gunpowder and early fireworks were adapted into weapons like rockets, bombs, and flamethrowers in Chinese warfare.
  • Celebration and spectacle : Over time, fireworks evolved into dazzling displays for royal events, religious ceremonies, and public festivities, symbolizing joy, power, and national pride.

How fireworks spread around the world

Fireworks and gunpowder technology gradually spread from China along trade routes like the Silk Road. They reached the Middle East and then Europe, brought back by travelers and Crusaders in the 13th–14th centuries. By the Renaissance, Italian pyrotechnicians began refining fireworks into the colorful, artistic displays we recognize today, adding metal salts to create different colors in the 1800s.

So, while no one person “invented” fireworks as we know them, they were born in ancient China through a mix of accident, alchemy, and tradition, and were used first to ward off evil, then to celebrate, and finally to amaze the world with light and sound.