UPDATE 10:15 p.m. EDT: By early Sunday, authorities raised the number of injured to 509, Agence France-Presse tweeted. A colorful powder deployed to enthrall partiers is believed to have been the ...

Hundreds of mostly young people were injured - some critically - when colored powder sprayed over a dancing crowd somehow ignited during a "color party" in Taiwan on Saturday night. The New York Times ...

More than 1,000 years ago, most likely in China, someone made the serendipitous discovery that a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate burns with startling speed and flash. The mixture, ...

There are hundreds of chemical formulas – or as I like to think of them, pyrotechnic recipes – for fireworks. These recipes ...

Custard powder makes a delicious dessert but also has a rather less savoury potential – in certain conditions, it can be a powerful explosive. Instant custard powder is a staple of many kitchens. Just ...

For many people around the world, the very first moments of the new year will be filled with the sounds and colorful light shows of fireworks. From loud bangs to long whistles, bright reds to pale ...