History of Matches
by Until matches were invented, humankind had no simple and reliable means of getting access to fire. The controlled use of fire is indeed regarded as one of the essential discoveries in the history of humankind.
A match is simply a chemically treated stick that bursts into flame when struck. It consists of three basic parts: a head, which initiates combustion; a tinder substance to pick up and transmit the flame; and a handle. Strike-anywhere matches and safety matches are the two main types of modern friction matches. The head of the strike-anywhere contains all the chemicals—including a phosphorous compound, which is necessary to obtain ignition from frictional heat. Safety matches will not ignite unless rubbed against the chemically prepared strip, or striking surface, on the box or, in the case of book matches, on the folder. These matches are usually tipped with quick-burning chemicals, and phosphorous is in the mixture on the striking surface.
Before matches were invented, people had to light their fires with flint and steel, and they stored or carried the fire-making tools in a tinderbox. They usually spared themselves the effort of starting a fire by storing live coals overnight. If their fire went out, someone was sent to a neighbor’s house to fetch live coals.
The development of matches began with the discovery of the element phosphorous in 1669. The inventor of the first friction match is not known with certainty, but credit for making the first phosphorous friction match, around 1816, was granted to Francois Derosne of France. In 1827, chemist John Walker from England packaged matches in cardboard (similar to book matches) and later developed the cardboard box with a piece of striking material on the side. This design was never patented by Walker but he continued to sell matches this way as part of his trade.
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On October 25, 2009 at 12:38 pm
An interesting article thanks for the share!