As far as making homemade fireworks, I think a pile of us may have deconstructed/reconstructed various fireworks and/or used BP on a number of occasions as children of the 60's, 70's and possibly 80's. Back when you'd be left alone for 8-10 hours a day by your parents.
I once took about 50 firecrackers, carefully sliced them open and collected the powder inside. Loaded it all into one big firecracker and lit it. That was fun. Only did it once. . . . because opening 50 firecrackers is a PITA.
The sheriff's office bomb squad responded and found two dozen pipe bombs, smokeless pistol powder, fused material, 23 different knives, two hatchets, nunchucks, two BB pellet-type rifles, six BB pellet-type handguns, and dozens of books and DVDs about murder, mass killings, bomb-making and domestic terrorism.
There was a gal I knew back in the 80's (I hear she passed away years after I lost touch with her but not sure how) that reportedly used to make homemade fireworks. ... The blasts were described as taking place inside a truck tire (so any shrapnel would go up, not out). The tire is said to have been tossed several feet into the air.
How do you buy 24 six-inch threaded-pipe nipples and 48 threaded caps without arousing suspicion...?
Oh, and this was me at 14... "...two dozen pipe bombs, smokeless pistol powder, fused material, 23 different knives, two hatchets, nunchucks, two BB pellet-type rifles, six BB pellet-type handguns..."
Only thing missing was throwing stars, brass knuckles, 2-foot purple acrylic bong, black-light posters and Black Sabbath albums...