When I was in my 20s I safely (so I thought) lit a firework that was supposed to helicopter up to a height of 20 or 30 feet and make a beautiful shower of colorful sparks.
Instead, about a third of a nano second after I lit the fuse (and before I could get more than four feet away) the firework shot up to about my eye level and promptly blew up with a report as loud as an Ash Can (type of firework)
I couldn't hear anything for about 20 minutes and the flash was so bright I couldn't see for almost an hour.
Ash Can, Silver Salute, M-80:
Quote:
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M80 - The original M80 was a military simulator that was sold as a firecracker. M80s are red in color, one and one-half inches long, 5/8 of an inch in diameter, with a green waterproof fuse sticking out the side. It contained two grams of flash powder and was responsible for hundreds of serious injuries due to its powerful blast. These items were banned by the CPSC in 1966, and made illegal by the BATF (now ATFE) in the 1970's. Legal M80's today contain 50 milligrams of flash powder, which is about 1/40th of the original M80. Illegal M80's sometimes contain compositions that are sensitive to shock and can injure of kill people. If you like having full use of your fingers, hands, and eyes, don't mess with illegal M80's.
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http://www.fireworksalliance.org/cgi....pl?p=glossary