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An interesting aspect of fireworks is that their history tells us a lot about the changing roles of scientists and technicians in Europe.
關(guān)于煙花，有一點(diǎn)非常有趣：煙花的歷史為我們?cè)跉W洲科學(xué)家和技術(shù)員的角色演變提供了很多信息。
Fireworks were introduced from China in the 13th century.
煙花是在十三世紀(jì)從中國引入歐洲的。
Up to the 16th century, they were generally used for military purposes, with rockets and fire tubes being thrown at the enemy, but they were also sometimes a feature of plays and festivals where their chief purpose was related to religion.
直到十六世紀(jì)，煙花一般都是用于軍事，和火箭與火管一起投向敵方；但有些時(shí)候，煙花也是表演和慶典的標(biāo)志，此時(shí)放煙花的主要目的與宗教有關(guān)。
By the 17th century, the rulers of Europe had started using fireworks as a way of marking royal occasions.
直到十七世紀(jì)，歐洲統(tǒng)治者開始把煙花當(dāng)作皇家活動(dòng)的標(biāo)志。
Technicians were employed to stage spectacular shows which displayed aspects of nature, with representations of the sun, snow and rain.
統(tǒng)治者聘請(qǐng)了技術(shù)員來籌備壯觀的表演，展示的內(nèi)容與自然有關(guān)，有太陽、雪花和雨水的代表物。
These shows were designed for the enjoyment of the nobility and to impress ordinary people.
設(shè)計(jì)這些表演是為了娛樂貴族，震懾普通民眾。
But fireworks also aroused the interest of scientists, who started to think of new uses for them.
但煙花也引起了科學(xué)家的興趣，他們開始思考新的用途。
After seeing one firework display where a model of a dragon was propelled along a rope by rockets, scientists thought that in a similar way, humans might be able to achieve flight - a dream of many scientists at the time.
一場(chǎng)煙花表演中，一串火箭拉動(dòng)了繩子系著的龍模型。在觀看了演出后，科學(xué)家想，以同樣的方式，人類也許可以實(shí)現(xiàn)飛行—這是當(dāng)時(shí)許多科學(xué)家的夢(mèng)想。
Other scientists, such as the chemist Robert Boyle, noticed how in displays one firework might actually light another, and it occurred to him that fireworks might provide an effective way of demonstrating how stars were formed.
其他科學(xué)家（例如化學(xué)家羅伯特·波義耳）則發(fā)現(xiàn)，在表演中，一支煙花也許能點(diǎn)燃另一支。他突然想到，也許利用煙花來證明星星形成過程是一個(gè)有效的方法。
Scientists at the time often depended on the royal courts for patronage.
那時(shí)候的科學(xué)家基本上都依靠宮廷提供財(cái)力支持。
But there was considerable variation in the relationships between the courts and scientists in different countries.
但在不同的國家，宮廷和科學(xué)家的關(guān)系有極大差異。
This was reflected in attitudes towards fireworks and the purposes for which they were used.
這反映在人們對(duì)煙花的態(tài)度，和煙花的作用。
In London, in the middle of the 17th century there was general distrust of fireworks among scientists.
在十七世紀(jì)中期的倫敦，科學(xué)家普遍不信任煙花。
However, later in the century, scientists and technicians started to look at the practical purposes for which fireworks might be employed, such as using rockets to help sailors establish their position at sea.
但同一世紀(jì)晚些時(shí)候，科學(xué)家和技術(shù)員開始著眼于煙花的實(shí)用目的，比如用火箭來幫助水手在海上定位。
It was a different story in Russia, where the St. Petersburg Academy of Science played a key role in creating fireworks displays for the court.
在俄羅斯這是完全不同的情況，圣彼得堡科學(xué)院在為宮廷設(shè)計(jì)煙花表演中起了重要作用。
Here, those in power regarded fireworks as being an important element in the education of the masses, and the displays often included a scientific message.
在科學(xué)院，掌權(quán)者認(rèn)為煙花是教育民眾的重要元素，煙花表演也經(jīng)常帶有科學(xué)信息。
Members of the Academy hoped that this might encourage the Royal Family to keep the Academy open at a time when many in the government were considering closing it.
在那時(shí)候政府內(nèi)很多人都在考慮關(guān)閉科學(xué)院，科學(xué)院成員希望這有助于讓皇族保留學(xué)院。
In Paris, the situation was different again.
在巴黎，情況又有所不同。
The Paris Academy of Sciences played no role in staging fireworks displays.
巴黎科學(xué)院在設(shè)計(jì)煙花表演中不起任何作用。
Instead, the task fell to members of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
這些任務(wù)落到了皇家繪畫與雕塑學(xué)院的成員頭上。
As in Russia, the work of the technicians who created the fireworks was given little attention.
和俄羅斯一樣，技術(shù)員（煙花制造者）的工作不受重視。
Instead, the fireworks and the spectacle they created were all designed to encourage the public to believe in the supreme authority of the king.
煙花和表演的壯觀場(chǎng)景都是為黃泉了鼓動(dòng)群眾相信皇權(quán)至高無上而設(shè)計(jì)的。
However, science was also enormously popular among the French nobility, and fashionable society flocked to demonstrations such as Nicola Lemery's display representing an erupting volcano.
不論如何，在法國貴族中，科學(xué)仍然非常流行，潮流人士們都會(huì)涌去觀看科學(xué)展示，如尼古拉·萊美瑞展示火山爆發(fā)。
The purpose of scientists was basically to offer entertainment to fashionable society, and academicians delighted in amazing audiences with demonstrations of the universal laws of nature.
科學(xué)家這么做是為了娛樂追潮流的貴族人士，知識(shí)分子們也很樂意以展示自然普遍規(guī)律來讓觀眾嘖嘖稱奇。
