Numerous experiments with electrically exploded wires are described.The results include time-resolved measurements of electrical energy, power, voltage, and current during * the discharge; periodic still and high-speed photographs of the entire explosion process; integrated and time-resolved measurements of the intensity and spectral distribution of the radiation emitted; and time-resolved absorption spectra from the products of the discharge, with emphasis on observations of the spectrum of the AlO molecule.The apparatus, instrumentation, and fast-measurement techniques developed in order to permit these direct experimental observations and measurements, under the extreme and transient conditions of the explosive discharge, are also described.Results from calculations of the composition, entropy, enthalpy, and density of the explosion mixture are given.(Author).