Remember, remember, the Fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot,
I see no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot

I looked into why, for some reason, South Africans didn’t forget about Guy Fawkes celebrations, which mark the 1605 failed attempt by English Roman Catholics to blow up Parliament, King James I, his queen, and his eldest son.

Turns out Guy Fawkes just happens to coincide with the day during the Second Boer War when an effigy of Paul Kruger, then President of the South African Republic, was burned in public for the first time.

So fire and rebellion seem to be a common theme here.

We probably won’t be celebrating publicly this year because there’s a pandemic on, but you’re guaranteed to find a couple of idiots with their own stash of fireworks and firecrackers, terrifying the neighbourhood pets by setting them off in yards or driving around throwing them out of car windows (true story).

Which, as we edge towards November 5, brings us to the topic of today’s fireworks-related public service announcement:

Don’t, warns Newsweek, throw firecrackers into manholes.

CCTV captured footage of exactly what happens if you do when a curious child in Kangle, China, did this two weeks ago:

The explosion was caused by a combo of fire, and a build-up of highly flammable biogases including methane and hydrogen sulfide.

It happened after school. The group of kids were playing together, and there were few adults around,” a spokesperson for the residential community’s managing agency told Beijing’s Pear Video.

“The firework was very small. Had it been larger, this might’ve been much more serious,” she said.

The child was launched 10 feet into the air. It’s a miracle he wasn’t badly hurt or worse.

The neighbourhood’s management office says that they’ve sent out multiple notices asking people not to put cigarettes or firecrackers down manholes (this happens often, apparently).

“But people don’t seem to care,” she said.

So, next week, if you don’t want to leave off on the fireworks for the sake of all of the poor animals that you’re tormenting (you monster), then try not to be a fool when you’re handling them.

[source:newsweek]