Fireworks -- one of the few things that people from the past 200+ years have all shared the same way.
I could try to open with a joke, but I don't think I could do better than Stephen Colbert:
"It's Fourth of July weekend, or, as I call it, Exploding Christmas."
The holidays are as different as July is to December, of course, but they are the same in that they're both chock full of tradition. They are celebrated with family, food and festivities. And, in the case of Independence Day - fireworks.
With these vintage galleries, we look back on a variety of topics. And, we can see differences from one decade to the next in just about all of them. With Fourth of July photos that feature fireworks, however, there is a certain sameness.
MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey
Fireworks have been magnificent for centuries. Invented by the Chinese millennia ago, people were launching fireworks in the late-18th century to celebrate America's independence, and not only did they look and sound pretty much the same way they do today ... they were technologically similar as well.
That grown-up feeling when you were finally allowed to handle a sparkler on the Fourth! There is a company named Pyrotecnico on Garden Road in Franklin Township, Gloucester County. It used to be the Vineland Fireworks Co. when I was a lad, and for decades they've crafted aerial bombs and exploding shells the way it was done ages ago.
Certainly, the launch methods have gotten fancier in some places; many of the huge fireworks shows employ computer-controlled launch circuits wired to thousands of mortars. But in most local shows, trained professionals fire off shells from mortar tubes by lighting fuses with magnesium flares.
There's something genuinely satisfying about watching fireworks light up the night sky, hearing the ooohs and aaaahs of the crowd, and knowing that it's one of the few things that people from the past 200+ years have all shared the same way.
Here's a gallery of vintage photos of people celebrating America in New Jersey on the Fourth of July. Be sure captions are enabled to learn more about each photo.
Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find The Star-Ledger on Facebook.