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No one knows exactly who was the first person to invent fireworks, but it is widely thought that they were first made in China.  The way gunpowder was first discovered was probably an accident.  Fireworks are made with gunpowder.  The development of fireworks evolved with the evolution of the gun and other implements of war.  The first fireworks displays for entertainment in Europe were put on by military men who knew how to handle explosives.  They were hired to choreograph bomb explosions, mortars, and rockets to produce displays celebrating special events.  By the early 1500's, people had formed private businesses making displays for celebrations.

The use of fireworks to celebrate the Fourth of July can be traced back to the days of the Revolutionary War when veterans of the war began the tradition of firing their muskets into the air.  They also had other rituals of celebration involving gunpowder such as blowing anvils high into the sky using sacks of gunpowder.  After the Civil War, this tradition gave way to the safer tradition of setting off Chinese fireworks, which had become widely and cheaply available.