Suburban Skyview: Gathering on the lawn for fireworks

The gates opened two-and-a-half hours before the first rocket exploded overhead July 1 at the Des Plaines Community Fireworks show at Oakton Community College.

The first people to arrive wasted no time in claiming their spots on the lawn to eat and drink and listen to music while children scrambled around.

Looking down on the patriotic display from about 170 feet overhead might be as entertaining as the fireworks show itself, although the free 20-minute show was a colorful spectacle that was appreciated by thousands.

It is widely believed the Chinese were the first to use fireworks as far back as 1,000 years ago. They believed the sounds and colors warded off evil spirits.

The first fireworks show in the United States happened a couple of days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the first official show was the following year in Philadelphia, then the capital of the country. On that evening, people gathered to light bonfires and throw simple gunpowder firecrackers.

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