First mermaid firework
Who
John Babington
What
/ first
Where
United Kingdom ()
When
1635

The first mermaid firework was created by British soldier and pyrotechnician John Babington, who printed instructions in his 1635 book Pyrotechnia (Thomas Harper, London) of how to make a five- or six-foot tall mermaid powered by firework rockets to give the illusion of it moving and playing on the water.


Instructions for the human-sized mermaid describe making a body of "light rods" like those used by basket makers and placing an axel with two hollow wheels in the centre to hide them from view. The wheels must touch the water to steady the floating mermaid and drive her forwards. Hidden in the tail, three or four rockets face the same direction to power the contraption, venting through a gap in the tail to give the mermaid the appearance of swimming around the water. Additional lights are suggested for inclusion to make the mermaid more beautiful. The one pictured in Pyrotechnia holds a sparkling firework in her hand and a mirror to reflect the lights.

The mermaid is one of several fireworks designed to work on water for elaborate pageants. The same design later appears in Daniel Galschut’s Pyrotechnica (1692-1706).

Babington was an English mathematician and gunner, whose military knowledge of ordinance was utilised for military applications and firework displays for entertainment.