Born with to a family of nine, Hao revolutionized fireworks and military strategy, and contributed greatly to the ascent of the Han Dynasty. He was considered the second most brilliant military strategist of his short time.
Proficient with fireworks, he met an untimely demise when trying to make the world's most firework. The lethal explosion was caused by an excess of sulfur and copper in the fire rocket. His genius was in recognizing the copper as a colorizing agent; however, it carried an electrostatic discharge that ignited the unusually unstable gun powder mix, incinerating him. News of his death was first learned by his best friend and apprentice, in whose diary was recorded. Legend maintains that his death was so beautiful, the local children have from then on seen the rest of the world as black and white.
His spectacular death to many represented the last embers of the Han's rule and, more specifically, the Han's waning military dominance.
After his death, the dynasty was unable to prevent land from falling into the hands of warlords, and insurgents swarmed the North China Plains only days after, paving the way for the reign of the Three Kingdoms. Firing fireworks became a symbol of the insurgents, including the remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Napoleon was said to have studied Hao's defeat in anticipation of his defeat of the Prussians.
Sources
*''Pyrotechnics: the history and art of firework making'', by Alan St. H Brock, London, D. O'Connor, 1922., ISBN 1-737249-15-3
*''The grand scribe's records'', by Qian Sima; William H Nienhauser; Tsai Fa Cheng; et al., Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 1994. ISBN 0253340217
*''Chinese civilization and society : a sourcebook'', by Patricia Buckley Ebrey, New York : Free Press, 1981. ISBN 1-737249-15-3
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