July 4, 2013 fireworks

This year, the Macy's 4th of July fireworks show will display along the Hudson River. The show starts at approximately 9:00 pm.

“This year Macy's 4th of July Fireworks will be transformed into a giant party in the sky captivating audiences along the Hudson River and on television screens across the country," said Amy Kule, executive producer of Macy's 4th of July Fireworks.  Patriotic songs such as "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," and "The Star-Spangled Banner"  will be played throughout the show.

The first Independence Day fireworks were set off on July 4, 1777. John Adams in a letter to  his wife Abigail wrote one year before,  on July 3, 1776,  that the occasion should be commemorated  “with Pomp and Parade, with Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more”.

The invention of fireworks can be traced back several thousand years ago to ancient China, around the time of the Han Dynasty (206-220 BC).  Fireworks remained mostly an  Asian phenomenon until 1292, when the explorer Marco Polo brought back a crate of Oriental pyrotechnics to his native Italy.
The Italians were the first Europeans to manufacture fireworks  in Europe and  the "fire masters" began to compete with each other to see who could produce the most dazzling exhibitions.

The first recorded display of the fireworks in in England  was on  the wedding  day  of Henry VII in 1487.  Shakespeare mentions fireworks in his play  “Much Ado About Nothing”.

Elizabeth I, the queen regnant of England and Ireland, enjoyed the fireworks  so much she appointed a "Fire Master of England". In the English dictionary of Historic principles, published in 1901, Fire Master is defined as an  the officer of Artillery who  superintended the manufacture of explosives or fireworks.

During the Renaissance, fireworks became popular in Europe and were used in nationalist and imperialist celebrations by figures like Peter the Great and Louis XIV, who were especially big fans of the pyrotechnics.

Until the 1830's, orange or white flashes and sparks were the only colors seen in pyrotechnics displays. Only later  Italian fire masters found that burning different metallic salts could produce a wide variety of colored fireworks - copper could be used for blue, and barium – for green color.

 Over one million people witnessed the event which was considered the greatest show  on July 4, 1986 ,celebrating  the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.

For the best spots to view the show this year , head to 12th Avenue below 59th Street. At 2pm, Twelfth Avenue and the northbound lanes of the West Side Highway from 22nd to 59th Streets will be closed to traffic and turned into a giant block party.

Or you can buy tickets  to Circle Line's party on Pier 83 on the Hudson. Starting at 7 p.m. the pier will transform into a huge pre-fireworks fest with an all-American cookout and live music. Seating is first-come first-serve.

You can go to Brooklyn, Emmons Ave in Sheepshead Bay and hop on the pretty Pink Lady and enjoy the fireworks, a large buffet, nonalcoholic beverages and a live DJ. There will also be a cash bar.

The bay is beautiful and there are a lot of other boats on the bay to chose from: