Fireworks have accompanied celebrations and festivities for at least a thousand years.
Fireworks became a hallmark of grand occasions, from weddings to triumphant military victories.
The first recorded royal fireworks display was reportedly organized by King Henry VII to commemorate his wedding in 1486.
In 1685, James II’s coronation presentation was so spectacular that it earned the pyrotechnician a knighthood.
Despite Europe’s admiration for fireworks, they paled in comparison to the awe-inspiring showcases mastered by Chinese pyrotechnicians.
The Ruggieri family consisted of five brothers and were originally from Bologna, Italy.
Like many Italian pyrotechnicians of the time, they travelled around Europe showcasing their talents.
A firework display, possibly given by Napoleon III on Queen Victoria’s 1855 visit to Paris.
Painting by British illustrator Ebenezer Landells.
The Ruggieri family flourished as esteemed fireworks pyrotechnicians under the patronage of royalty.
Their sons in turn oversaw a new fireworks business until the 1890s.
The Ruggieri company continues to thrive performing firework displays around the world.
Using chemistry, Claude revolutionized pyrotechnics, forging novel chemical compositions that imbued fireworks displays with an unparalleled brilliance.
Before Ruggieri, the default color for fireworks was a brilliant “white fire”.
Claude Ruggieri realized the trick lied in adding metallic salts to create colored flames.
The sal-ammoniac volatilized the metal salts to increase the intensity of the color.
By the early 1800s, Claude Ruggieri had established himself as a master pyrotechnician.
He wrote a number of works, the first beingElemens De Pyrotechnie, which was published in 1801.
