Triboluminescence- a very fun word to say. In layman’s terms it means “to glow.” It is an illumination seen in the dark. Glow in the dark stickers are nice party favors but it won’t turn heads to “oow” and “aww” over. However biting into a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver causing sparks is a cool trick. Any non free-sugar hard candy will do but Wint-O-Green will probably shine brighter than any other candy that you can find.
Read more about the scientific reason behind the party trick to swallow lighting:
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question505.htm
http://pages.towson.edu/ladon/wg/candywww.htm
Now that was for the magic tricks but how about adding some triboluminescence into a date. No I don’t mean taking the one you got the hotts for to Laser Quest but a nice romantic stroll on the beach at night. At the right time you can turn around and see your footprints in the sand glowing! Yes it sounds like something straight off of Scooby Doo.
When red tide is high the wave wash up microscopic plankton or dinoflagellates such is also found in deep-sea fish that use light to lure in food. When presser is applied it crushes the dinoflagellates causing a glow just like biting into Wint-O-Green mints. From Alaska Pacific coastline down into Mexico and around the Gulf of Mexico to the west coast of Florida is where this phenomenon is most easily seen.
Movie Night Detective 