The M-80 firecracker was the epitome of cool back in the day. Package
after package of Chinese strings were purchased and consumed. But a few very
special fireworks made the Fourth all worthwhile!
The M-80 was charged with three to five grams of flash powder. Amazing! By comparison, the most powerful of firecrackers generally available
today may contain a maximum of 50 milligrams of powder. An M-80 could be
100 times more powerful than today’s puny offerings.
A couple of weeks prior to the fourth, we would marshal our resources, in
some cases pooling with the best buddy, and head to the fireworks stand! The
selection process was thoughtful, both tedious and exciting, and painstaking.
Key: the most bang for the buck, no pun intended. For this reason, the purchase
of roman candles, rockets, and the like, was very limited. Firecrackers were the
items of choice. And the more the better, the bigger the better.
For nearly fifty years now, American youth have had no idea,
for the limits on the charge was imposed by the Child Protection Act of
1966. Eat your hearts out, kiddies! The Fourth of July celebration is much tamer nowadays, and perchance much
safer. At least in some ways.
I know, the right thing to have done here would have been to present the story of our country's founding, an appeal to patriotism, and a Hip, Hip, Hooray! for
the Red, White, and Blue. Well, consider that intended and implied. But for
once, I wanted to revel in nostalgia on this Glorious Fourth, and long for the
“good old days.”
Here, Wes. Put that M-80 under this lard bucket!
Tip for the younger set: Did the fuse come out of that little contraband Chinese firecracker? Break it in half, lay it on the ground and light the powder directly from punk or match. When it starts (that'll be real quickly) stomp on it with the heel of your shoe. Don't do this with bare feet or flip-flops. For the M-80, oh, nevermind. You don't have any of those.
Image: M-80s courtesy Wikipedia
