WASHINGTON — The Fourth of July is about all things American: parades, cookouts, cold beer and of course, fireworks. Those pyrotechnics remain at the center of Independence Day, a holiday 247 years in the making. Massive fireworks lit up the skyline of multiple American cities, marking festivities across the country. Despite widespread education efforts, thousands of Americans are badly injured by fireworks each year. Still, consumer sales of fireworks have rapidly grown over the past two decades. Statistics from the American Pyrotechnics Association show that in 2000, American consumers spent $407 million on fireworks.
