The citizens of Morton, Minnesota, are probably doing a repeat performance of this pyrotechnic display today as they join the rest of the US in a celebration of Independence Day. If you want to blow the minds of your family and friends at the barbecue, steer the conversation toward fireworks and casually drop this truth bomb: Gunpowder, the fuel that makes the fireworks explode, was invented in ancient China by Taoist alchemists who hoped to create an immortality elixir. That’s some dramatic irony, at least in hindsight. Be safe!
Let’s celebrate
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Fly me to the moon
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A look at Uranus, seventh planet from the sun
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A misty morning in Brazil
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Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
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Tolkien Reading Day
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International Day of the Tropics
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The (Inca) empire strikes back
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Blackbird in Essex, England
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Lake Tekapo, New Zealand
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Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil
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Portland celebrates its bounty
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Happy Pi Day!
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Star Wars Day
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The city of Osaka at night, Japan
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Groundhog Day arrives—beyond a shadow of a doubt
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Flag Day
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International Day of Mangrove Conservation
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A river on the tundra
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Canada s $20 view
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Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon
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The lemurs of Madagascar
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Death Valley National Park, California
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It s time to fall back
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Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
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Indigenous living
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Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park
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Saguaro cacti, Ironwood Forest National Monument, Arizona
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You ve never seen anything like this
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St. Paul Winter Carnival
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Ready, set, read
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