June 30, 2026 | Source: TIME | by Char Miller
This year’s Fourth of July fireworks promise to be especially explosive. The White House is endeavoring to smash the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever pyrotechnic display by shooting off 50 times more fireworks than last year. As such, the nation will ring in 250 years with barbeques, parades, and prescription sedatives for their panicked pets.
I understand the appeal. As a child, I loved fireworks. Each year, I waited impatiently for darkness to fall and was thrilled when the rockets’ red glare streaked across the night sky—and then fell into the coastal waters of Connecticut. And I am far from alone in my appreciation.
The first Independence Day, celebrated in 1777 in Philadelphia, included fireworks. Ever since, fireworks have symbolized celebration and freedom, becoming so intertwined with Independence Day that it is difficult to imagine one without the other.
Unfortunately, the costs of this fleeting spectral wonder are high, borne by negative consequences for our environment and our health.
