The Epic Fireworks Blog

WHAT: A HUGE FIREWORK DISPLAY TO CELEBRATE THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE
WHERE: BEST VIEWS WILL BE AT THE FORT POINT TO THE MARINA GREEN OR THE MARIN HEADLANDS
WHEN: 27TH MAY 2012

May the 27th 2012 is the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge, and to celebrate 500,000 people will witness a massive fireworks display of epic proportions.

The fireworks display starts at 2130 with a procession of cars from 1937 to present day, a nostalgic watercraft parade, and media presentations celebrating this engineering feat, unfortunately the fireworks won’t be televised

Here some interesting facts about the Golden Gate bridge:

It took just over 4 years to build the bridge.

Before the construction of the bridge the only way to cross was by boat. Enterprising boat owners formed the Sausalito land ferry company in 1867 charging $1 for the 27 minute journey across the San Francisco bay.

Previous estimates for the construction had been around the $100 million dollar mark, which was considered a lot of money back then. The huge costs were paid for by bonds issued before its commission was finally paid off in 1971.

Earlier sceptics said a span of 4200 feet, using 129000 miles of steel cable, couldn’t be done as the strain on the supports would be too much to take when wind was added to the equation as gusts of over 60 miles an hour had been recorded, also the swirling currents would undermine the foundations, so plans for a 55 mile road and rail bridge across the Berring straight were considered but cost was far too high for a country reeling from depression.

Using a new deflection theory, where the thin road surface would bend with the bridge was passed, Senior engineer Charles Alton Ellis in collaboration with Leon Moisseiff, broke ground on the 5th January 1933 with a budget of 35 million dollars, and came in $1.3 million under budget.

All credit to the designers, who managed to construct a bridge that in 75 years has only been, closed three times when wind speeds rose above 68 miles an hour.

The name “Golden Gate” name was first mentioned in 1917, when the colour which is a variation of vermillion called international orange, was selected as it blends in to the local landscape and makes the structure more visible in the frequent fog.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most photographed bridge in the world, and has appeared in more films than any other to date.

Did you know that some of the ingredients we find in common place foods are often there for different reasons that we just don’t think about.

Most of these are not additives we would associate with the food industry, delve a little deeper and a whole new world of chemical reactions on a microscopic level are happening right in your mouth.

Take for example the new black currant fisherman’s friend lozenges. One of the ingredients is Sorbitol, a natural sweetener also found in apples, peaches and prunes.

It is also widely used in mouthwash, hair gel, toothpaste and all sugar free chewing gums, but sorbitol is also commonly mixed with potassium nitrate, to make a solid rocket fuel, the sorbitol providing much of the hydrogen needed to make the exothermic chemical reaction, the formula being 19 C6H14O6 → 13 C6H14 + 36 CO2 + 42 H2O.

So the next time you brush your teeth, gel your hair or suck a fisherman’s friend, (careful now….) just think of the wonders of chemistry and your Bonfire night entertainment.

The latest idea from America to keep dogs calm in noisy environments has arrived – It’s called the Thundershirt. Originally developed for dogs that get disturbed when thunderstorms hit, has now found a new use as sales of the vest are escalating as we approach the fourth of July firework season. Three test “victims” Moses, Joker and Rowdy all tried the shirt all with some success.

Overall the results showed that the tight fitting garment worked better when put on before the storm arrived to allow the dogs to get acclimatised. Dr Joe Landers, Cincinnati vet, who oversaw the tests, said the idea behind this vest is sound.

Melisa Lancaster’s dog Joker, used to wake her up whenever a crack of thunder shook the house wanting a cuddle, but since wearing the vest he seems a lot calmer when the vest was fitted before the storm arrived, working on the theory that he now feels swaddled and more secure.

Thundershirts are available online from $40 and available in different sizes.

Luckily here at Epic we had a volunteer to test our own version of the garment, tests were inconclusive as he is so used to hearing the fireworks on our in-store plasma screens, he normally sleeps through them anyway, so not the best test subject on reflection.

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• Does It Really Do That: Thundershirt (pittsburgh.cbslocal.com)
• Thundershirt Company Partners with The Humane Society of the United States This Holiday Season (prweb.com)