World's biggest ever firework has to be seen to be believed
As New Year's Eve fast approaches, you might be thinking about where to watch some celebratory fireworks.
Well, we hate to break it to you, but you're unlikely to find anything as gobsmacking as this firework.
Back in 2020, the record was broken for the world's largest aerial firework - and as you can probably imagine, it was a total whopper.
The 2,800lb shell flew 2,200 feet above the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival in Colorado before it burst, turning the sky bright red.
But it was a rocky road to eventually nab the crown.
Advert
According to The Steamboat Pilot & Today, Tim Borden of Steamboat Springs headed the team that developed the firework over seven years.
The team attempted to set the world record in 2019, but the shell reportedly exploded inside the mortar without lifting off the ground.
Luckily, more success was had in 2020 - and it was verified by Christina Conlon of Guinness as the world's largest aerial firework, a spot it still holds today.
The firework was 400lb heaver than the previous record-holder, a 2,397lb explosive launched in the United Arab Emirates in 2018.
When Conlon presented Borden and his team with their Guinness certificate, she praised their perseverance after failing the year beforehand.
A winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow on the 26-foot-long mortar used to launch the shell, and also made transporting the shell difficult.
Borden said getting the area ploughed was more trouble than setting up the firework itself.
If that piques your interest, Guinness has recorded plenty of other firework-related records.
These include the most fireworks pinwheels launched in 30 seconds (150, achieved on January 1 this year) and the largest fireworks display in multiple cities - which consisted of 962,168 fireworks across three cities in Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Needless to say, we don't recommend trying to set anything like this off at home.