page_title: Big-Bang Cannon
hierarchical_section_title: Big-Bang Cannon
caption_attribution_description: The "Big Bang Cannon", a calcium carbide cannon made in the 1920s.
context_page_description: The Big-Bang Cannon is an American toy cannon first manufactured in the early 20th-century. Numerous consumer fireworks injuries convinced a physics professor at Lehigh University to patent a "Gas Gun" in 1907, and the manufacturing of Big-Bang Cannons started in 1912, from the Gas Cannon Company.
  In 1916, the name was changed to the Toy Cannon Works. In 1924, the company changed names again, to The Conestoga Company, Inc. An assistant professor from the same physics department at Lehigh was the company founder and owner until 1955. The Conestoga Company manufactures nineteen models of Big-Bang Cannon in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County.
  A bombing plane, tank, boat and pistol were manufactured during the 1920s, firing on the same principle as the cannons. 1930s designs included a Giant Roller Coaster, Ro-To-Top, Spinning Top, Field Glasses and G-Gun.
  Repurposed for toymaking, the historic 4-story wood and brick plant is depicted in T. M. Fowler's 1894 "aerial" drawing of West Bethlehem, with ground floor access both from Connestoga St. on the 1st level, and from 1st Ave. at the 4th level.
context_section_description: The Big-Bang Cannon is an American toy cannon first manufactured in the early 20th-century.  Numerous consumer fireworks injuries  convinced a physics professor at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) to patent a "Gas Gun" in 1907, and the manufacturing of Big-Bang Cannons started in 1912, from the Gas Cannon Company.
  In 1916, the name was changed to the Toy Cannon Works. In 1924, the company changed names again, to The Conestoga Company, Inc. An assistant professor from the same physics department at Lehigh was the company founder and owner until 1955. The Conestoga Company manufactures nineteen models of Big-Bang Cannon in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County.
  A bombing plane, tank, boat and pistol were manufactured during the 1920s, firing on the same principle as the cannons. 1930s designs included a Giant Roller Coaster, Ro-To-Top, Spinning Top, Field Glasses and G-Gun.
  Repurposed for toymaking, the historic 4-story wood and brick plant is depicted in T. M. Fowler's 1894 "aerial" drawing of West Bethlehem, with ground floor access both from Connestoga St. on the 1st level, and from 1st Ave. at the 4th level.  All machinery on the first three levels were driven by a single electric motor via belts and drive shafts the width of the building.  In the mid 1950s, the plant burned, and operations were terminated.  Dormant several years, the company was bought from physicist & founder Doc Wiley by brothers Frank H. & Robert E. Miller, who rehired Joseph Gombotz as plant manager and future owner.  Taken by eminent domain in the late 1960s to construct the 4-lane spur route I-378, the plant moved to E. Goepp St, until its present owners moved it to Sumner Ave. in Allentown.  [History in this paragraph provided by Robert E. Miller III.]
caption: A Big Bang Cannon and its box
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "", "Image Make": "Polaroid", "Image Model": "iS2132", "Image XResolution": "96", "Image YResolution": "96", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "1.0900", "Image DateTime": "2014:07:24 17:34:15", "Image Artist": "Picasa", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "Copyright 2012", "Image ExifOffset": "270", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1282", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "6425", "EXIF Tag 0x2031": "0", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/30", "EXIF FNumber": "39/10", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Shutter Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "100", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:07:24 04:08:41", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:07:24 04:08:41", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "8", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "2453/500", "EXIF ApertureValue": "157/40", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3263/1000", "EXIF MeteringMode": "MultiSpot", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, compulsory flash mode, return light not detected", "EXIF FocalLength": "52/5", "EXIF SubSecTime": "[48, 0]", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3573", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2604", "EXIF RelatedSoundFile": "", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "Interoperability RelatedImageWidth": "4608", "Interoperability RelatedImageLength": "3456", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "1134", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "58", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "255", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "d9c5c014da568770cd8a23129a4745c7"}