Video: The Science of Fireworks, some 18th century fireworks illustrations, and photographic advice

Washington College professor John Conkling, who is the former director of the American Pyrotechnics Association and the co-author of Chemistry of Pyrotechnics, breaks down the science of fireworks and offers a laboratory demonstration of various color fuels in action.

Atlas Obscura has an excellent gallery of antique illustrations of fireworks. Here are a couple, but go to the link to see the whole set:

This hand-colored etching illustrates a 1749 show celebrating the Aix la Chapelle peace treaty, which also featured the first performance of George Fredric Handel's "Music for the Royal Fireworks." Sadly, three spectators were killed during the show when a lit rocket shot into a stack of reserve fireworks and blew up a pavilion. (Image: Public Domain/WikiCommons)

A”Grand Display” over New York’s Hudson River illuminated the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge on May 24th, 1883. This celebratory chromolithograph was published by Currier & Ives. (Image: Library of Congress)

And there's this:

Designs for "pyrotechny," engraved by Andrew Bell
for the 1797 edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. 

Related, National Geographic has some pro tips on how to take good pictures of fireworks. 

Happy New Year links - history, advice and lots of hangover cures

Happy New Year! A happy and healthy 2019 to all.

How (Not) to Celebrate the New Year: advice from 700 AD (hint - if you dress up as a stag or a calf you'll spend 3 years doing penance). 

Strange New Year traditions around the world.

Smithsonian's Top 11 Stories of 2018. 

The Guardian's best photographs of 2018, with commentary by the people who shot them. Also, National Geographic's 100 best images of the year. and their Best Animal Photos.

The Surprising Origins of the New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Tradition.

Lifehacker's Most Popular Posts of 2018. 

The 16 Best Gadgets of 2018. 

The Top 10 Websites for Science in 2018. 

Advice from 1862: How to Tell Your Fortune for the New Year.

Dave Barry’s 2018 Year in Review. Here's the 2017 version, and the columns for previous years are available here.

Some links to avoid becoming philogrobolized: 

Your Complete Guide to the Science of Hangovers

Infographic on the Anatomy of a Hangover

Hangover Cures From Famous Heavy Drinkers

Scientists Find a Way to Cut Wine Hangovers. 

5 Really Strange Ways to Cure a Hangover

Dark Liquor Makes For Worse Hangovers

How to Cure a Hangover in 10 Simple Steps.

According to a study in the Journal of Food Science, the amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells against toxins.

My favorite New Year's resolution story.

Why We Sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year’s Eve, and here's Mark Steyn singing and explaining the song What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Eat your heart out, New York: Boise, Idaho drops a giant potato downtown on New Year's Eve.

ICYMI, Most recent (all Christmas-related) links are here.

Wednesday links

January 17 is Ben Franklin's birthday - bio, quotes, videos, his 200 synonyms for drunk, the bodies found in his basement, and more.

Alexa, What Are You Doing with My Family's Personal Info?

How to Build an Igloo.

Gorgeous X-Ray Photographs of Plants and Animals.

For Al Capone's birthday, here's the story of that time he bought large blocks of stock in miniature golf construction companies.

Method of Women's Self Defense: Vintage Photos From 1906 Illustrate Modes for Warding Off a Street Bully or Foul.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include why toll-free numbers start with 800, the ultimate paper airplane (a paper Boeing 777), why gadgets are called "doohickeys", the anniversary of prohibition in the United States, and why tequila is good for you. 

Monday links

In honor of Columbus Day, here’s a list of the top 10 accidental discoveries. Related: Columbus cleared of importing syphilis from the Americas to Europe. Plus, that time Columbus tricked Jamaicans out of supplies using knowledge of an upcoming eclipse.

Nose hair extensions are the next hot beauty trend everyone needs to try. Well, maybe not everybody.

Seven Body Organs You Can Live Without.

Gorgeous remastered and colorized images from the Civil War era, including Lincoln and Mark Twain.

Related to the above link: By the end of the Civil War, 4.5 million pieces of undelivered mail, which contained thousands of photos, had piled up in the Washington, D.C. Dead Letter Office. More on the DLO here.

Inflatable dummy tanks were a critical tactic in battlefield deception.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include a UFO detector, a collection of vintage ads you would never see today, Hitler's boxers bought at auction, and how nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper set off bloody conflicts and the discovery of the New World.

Gorgeous remastered and colorized images from the Civil War era, including Lincoln and Mark Twain

This Mark Twain is extraordinary - it looks as if were taken yesterday:

Abraham Lincoln, taken by Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady in 1861, at the beginning of Lincoln's first presidential term:

A colorized image of three Confederate prisoners and its original black and white stenograph, taken by Mathew Brady in 1863 on top of Seminary Ridge in Gettysburg:

And here's Custer:

More at Daily Mail and at the artists' Facebook page Colorized History. This related book gets excellent reviews: The Civil War in Color: A Photographic Reenactment of the War Between the States.

Famous Works Of Art Recreated Using Marvel Action Figures

Some impressive photography:

The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel, Vatican City), 1508–1512

Vitruvian Man, Leonardo Da Vinci 1490, Italy

The Discobolus of Myron (Circa 460-450 B.C.)

The Last Supper, Leonardo Da Vinci, Circa 1495-1497

Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Benvenuto Cellini, 1545

The Thinker (Le Penseur), Auguste Rodin, 1880

Pietà, Michelangelo (Basilica di San Pietro, Vaticano), 1498-1499

More at Bored Panda and at the artist's Instagram, h/t GeekPress

Thursday links

How to Kill Snakes and Fleas: advice from 1688.

Giant Hand Sculptures Around The World.

The Amazing Architectural Evolution of the Filling Station.

These food photography tricks are kinda fascinating.

Inside the Cut-Throat World of Toddler Bike Racing.

Diet tip of the day: Drinking tequila can lead to weight loss. Among other things.

ICYMI, Tuesday's links are here, and include using a a charge card for a $170 million painting, pasta shape ranking, D-Day links, artificial skating rinks before reliable ice-making technology, and foolproof pick up lines (according to Chinese scientists).