By the Numbers: July 2013

No Fourth of July celebration would be complete without a fireworks extravaganza. Each year on this national holiday, patriotic pyromaniacs flock to fireworks stands, while the less adventurous gather in city parks or in front of their televisions to share in this time-honored tradition.

60,000

Number of spectators anticipated at Austin’s Fourth of July celebration on Auditorium shores in 2013

400

People who lose their eyesight each year in fireworks-related accidents

940

Dollar amount, in millions, pulled in yearly by the fireworks industry

35

Cities in the U.S. with "Eagle" in the name; the largest is Eagle Pass, TX (pop. 26,248)

20,000

Fires started each year by fireworks

560

Number of weeks that Katie Perry’s hit “Firework” made the music charts, worldwide (it appeared first in 2010 on New Zealand’s Top 40 and last in Germany’s Singles Top 100 in 2013)

1

Number of times that Carnelle (played by Holly Hunter) drops her wooden rifle during the talent portion of the climactic beauty pageant in the 1989 comedy “Miss Firecracker”

3,978

Number of F-18 Hornets (a type of fighter jet) pictured in the movie "Independence Day."

2,000

Degrees of heat emitted by a sparkler

1966

Date that the original cherry bombs, which contained more than one gram of flash powder, were declared illegal (current cherry bombs are limited to 50 milligrams)