A match is a stick (stalk, straw) made of combustible material, equipped with an incendiary head at the end, which serves to produce an open fire.

Matches are a relatively recent invention of mankind, they replaced the tinderbox about two centuries ago, when weaving looms were already working, trains and steamships were running. But it wasn't until 1844 that safety matches were announced.

Before a match flared up in the hands of a human being, many events took place, each of which contributed to the long and difficult path of creating a match.

Although the use of fire dates back to the dawn of mankind, it is believed that matches were originally invented in China in 577 during the Qi Dynasty that ruled northern China (550-577). The courtiers were under military siege and left without fire invented them from sulfur.

But let's find out the history of this everyday little thing in more detail ...

The description of these matches is given by Tao Gu in his book “Proofs of the Extraordinary and Supernatural” (c. 950):

“If something unexpected happens overnight, it takes some time. A shrewd man simplified small sticks of pine soaked in sulfur. They were ready to use. It remains only to rub them on an uneven surface. It turned out a flame as big as a wheat ear. This miracle is called "a slave clothed with light." But when I started selling them, I called them fire sticks.” In 1270, matches were already freely sold on the market in the city of Hangzhou.

In Europe, matches were invented only in 1805 by the French chemist Chansel, although already in 1680 the Irish physicist Robert Boyle (who discovered Boyle's law) coated a small sheet of phosphorus and took a wooden stick with a sulfuric head already known to us. He rubbed it against the paper and as a result, a fire broke out.

The word "match" comes from the old Russian word spoke - a pointed wooden stick, or a splinter. Originally called knitting needles wooden nails, which attached the sole to the shoe. At first, matches in Russia were called "incendiary, or samogar matches."

Match sticks can be either wooden (soft wood species are used - linden, aspen, poplar, American white pine ...), and cardboard and wax (cotton cord impregnated with paraffin).

Collecting match labels, boxes, matches themselves and other related items is called phylumenia. And their collectors are called phylumenists.

According to the ignition method, there are grater matches, which ignite when rubbing against the surface of a matchbox, and non-grater ones, which ignite on any surface (remember how Charlie Chaplin lit a match on his trousers).

In ancient times, to make a fire, our ancestors used the friction of wood against wood, then they began to use flint and invented the steel. But even with him, kindling a fire required time, a certain skill and effort. Striking steel on flint, they cut a spark that fell on tinder soaked in saltpeter. It began to smolder and already from it, with the help of dry kindling, they fanned the fire

The next invention was the impregnation of a dry splinter with molten sulfur. When the sulfur head was pressed against the smoldering tinder, it flared up. And from it they already set fire to the hearth. This is how the prototype of the modern match appeared.

In 1669, white phosphorus, which is easily ignited by friction, was discovered, which began to be used in the production of the first match heads.

In 1680, the Irish physicist Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691, who discovered Boyle's law), covered a small sheet with such phosphorus and took a wooden stick with a sulfuric head already known to us. He rubbed it against the paper and as a result, a fire broke out. But unfortunately, Robert Boyle did not draw any useful conclusion from this.

Invented in 1805, Chapsel's wooden matches had a head made from a mixture of sulfur, bartolet salt, and cinnabar red, which was used to color the head. Such a match was lit either with a magnifying glass from the Sun (remember how drawings were burned in childhood, or carbon paper was set on fire), or by dripping concentrated sulfuric acid on it. His matches were dangerous to use and very expensive.

A little later, in 1827, the English chemist and pharmacist John Walker (1781-1859) discovered that if you cover the end of a wooden stick with certain chemicals, then striking it on a dry surface, the head lights up and sets fire to the wand. The chemicals he used were the following: antimony sulfide, berthollet salt, gum and starch. Walker did not patent his "Congreves," as he called the world's first friction-ignited matches he invented.

An important role in the birth of the match was played by the discovery of white phosphorus, made by a retired soldier from Hamburg, Henning Brand in 1669. After studying the works of famous alchemists of that time, he decided to get gold. As a result of the experiments, a certain light powder was accidentally obtained. This substance had amazing property glow, and Brand called it "phosphorus", which in Greek means "light-bearing".

As for Walker, as is often the case, the druggist invented matches by accident. In 1826, he mixed chemicals with a stick. A dried drop formed at the end of this stick. To remove it, he struck the floor with a stick. Fire broke out! Like all slow-witted people, he did not bother to patent his invention, but demonstrated it to everyone. A guy named Samuel Jones was present at such a demonstration and realized the market value of the invention. He called the matches "Lucifer" and began to sell them in tons, despite the fact that some problems were associated with the "Lucifer" - they smelled bad and, when ignited, scattered clouds of sparks around.

He soon put them on the market. The first sale of matches took place on April 7, 1827 in the city of Hikso. Walker made some money with his invention. His matches and Congreves, however, often exploded and were unpredictably dangerous to handle. He died in 1859 at the age of 78 and was buried in the graveyard of Norton Parish Church in Stockton.

However, Samuel Jones soon saw Walker's "Congreves" matches and decided to start selling them as well, calling them "Lucifers". Perhaps due to their name, "Lucifers" matches became popular, especially among smokers, but they also had an unpleasant odor when burned.

There was another problem - in the first matches, the head consisted of one phosphorus, which ignited perfectly, but burned out too quickly and the wooden stick did not always have time to catch fire. I had to return to the old recipe - a sulfuric head, and they began to apply phosphorus to it in order to more easily set fire to the sulfur, which in turn set fire to the wood. Soon they came up with another improvement in the match head - they began to mix chemicals that release oxygen when heated to phosphorus.

Dry matches appeared in Vienna in 1832. They were invented by L. Trevani, he covered the head of a wooden straw with a mixture of Berthollet salt with sulfur and glue. If such a match is passed over sandpaper, the head ignites, but sometimes it exploded, and this led to serious burns.

The ways of further improvement of matches were extremely clear: it is necessary to make such a composition of the mixture for a match head. so that it lights up calmly. The problem was soon resolved. The new composition included Berthollet salt, white phosphorus and glue. Matches with such a coating easily ignited on any hard surface, on glass, on the sole of a shoe, on a piece of wood.
The inventor of the first phosphorus matches was the nineteen-year-old Frenchman Charles Soria. In 1831, a young experimenter added white phosphorus to a mixture of Berthollet salt and sulfur to weaken its explosive properties. This idea turned out to be successful, since the splinters lubricated with the resulting composition easily ignited during friction. The ignition temperature of such matches is relatively small - 30 degrees. The scientist wanted to patent his invention, but he had to pay a lot of money for this, which he did not have. A year later, matches were re-created by the German chemist J. Kammerer.

These matches were easily flammable, so they caused fires, and besides, white phosphorus is very poisonous substance. Match factory workers suffered from serious illnesses caused by phosphorus fumes.

The first successful recipe for an incendiary mass for making phosphorus matches was apparently invented by the Austrian Irini in 1833. Irini suggested it to the entrepreneur Remer, who opened a match factory. But it was inconvenient to carry matches in bulk, and then a matchbox with rough paper glued to it was born. Now it was no longer necessary to strike a phosphorus match on anything. The only problem was that sometimes matches caught fire from friction in the box.

In connection with the danger of self-ignition of phosphorus matches, the search began for a more convenient and safe flammable substance. White phosphorus, discovered in 1669 by the German alchemist Brand, was easier to ignite than sulfur, but its disadvantage was that it was a strong poison and, when burned, gave a very unpleasant and harmful odor. Match factory workers, having breathed in the vapors of white phosphorus, literally turned into disabled people in just a few months. In addition, by dissolving it in water, they obtained the strongest poison, which could easily kill a person.

In 1847, Schroeter discovered red phosphorus, which was no longer poisonous. So gradually began the replacement of poisonous white phosphorus in matches with red. The first combustible mixture based on it was created by the German chemist Betcher. He made the head of a match on the basis of glue from a mixture of sulfur and berthollet salt, and soaked the match itself with paraffin. The match burned splendidly, but its only drawback was that, as before, it did not ignite from rubbing against a rough surface. Then Betcher smeared this surface with a composition containing red phosphorus. When the match head was rubbed, the particles of red phosphorus contained in it ignited, set fire to the head and the match lit up with an even yellow flame. These matches produced neither smoke nor the unpleasant smell of phosphorus matches.

Betcher's invention did not initially attract the attention of industrialists. For the first time, his matches began to be produced in 1851 by the Swedes, the Lundstrem brothers. In 1855, Johan Edvard Lundström patented his matches in Sweden. That's why " safety matches” and began to be called “Swedish”.

The Swede applied red phosphorus to the surface of the sandpaper on the outside of a small box and added the same phosphorus to the composition of the match head. Thus, they no longer harmed health and easily ignited on a pre-prepared surface. Safety matches in the same year were presented at the International Exhibition in Paris and received a gold medal. From that moment on, the match began its triumphal procession around the world. Them main feature consisted in the fact that they did not ignite when rubbed against any hard surface. The Swedish match was lit only if it was rubbed against the side of the box, covered with a special mass.

Shortly thereafter, Swedish matches began to spread around the world and soon the production and sale of hazardous phosphorus matches was banned in many countries. A few decades later, the production of phosphorus matches completely ceased.

In America, the history of producing your own matchbox began in 1889. Joshua Pusey of Philadelphia invented his matchbox and called it Flexibles. No information about the number of matches placed in this box has survived to this day. There are two versions - there were 20 or 50. He made the first American matchbox out of cardboard using scissors. On a small wood-burning stove, he boiled the mixture for the heads of the matches and covered the surface of the box with another bright mixture to set them on fire. Beginning in 1892, Puxi spent the next 36 months defending the priority of his discovery in the courts. As often happened with great inventions, the idea was already in the air, and at the same time, other people were also working on the invention of the matchbox. Puxi's patent was unsuccessfully challenged by the Diamond Match Company, which invented a similar matchbox. Being an inventor, not a wrestler, in 1896 he accepted an offer from the Diamond Match Company to sell his patent to them for $4,000, along with a job offer from the company. It was because of what, because already in 1895 the volume of production of matches exceeded 150,000 matchboxes per day.

But only, perhaps, the United States became the only country. where in the 40s a free box of matches was attached to a pack of cigarettes. They have been an integral part of every cigarette purchase. The price of a matchbox hasn't increased in America in fifty years. So the rise and fall of the matchbox in America tracked the number of packs of cigarettes sold.

Matches came to Russia in the 30s of the 19th century and were sold at a silver ruble for a hundred .. Later, the first matchboxes appeared, first wooden and then tin. Moreover, even then labels were glued on them, which led to the emergence of a whole branch of collecting - phylumenia. The label carried not only information, but also decorated and complemented the matches.

The number of factories that produced them reached 30 by the release in 1848 of the law allowing their production only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The following year, only one match factory worked. In 1859, the monopoly law was abolished and in 1913 there were 251 match factories in Russia.

Modern wooden matches are made in two ways: veneer method (for square section matches) and stamping method (for round section matches). Small aspen or pine chocks are either chipped or stamped with a match machine. Matches sequentially pass through five baths, in which a general impregnation with a fire-fighting solution is carried out, a primer layer of paraffin is applied to one end of the match to ignite the wood from the match head, a layer forming the head is applied on top of it, a second layer is applied to the tip of the head, the head is still sprayed with hardening solution protecting it from the weather. A modern match machine (18 meters long and 7.5 meters high) produces up to 10 million matches in an eight-hour shift.

How is a modern match arranged? The mass of a match head is 60% berthollet salt, as well as combustible substances - sulfur or metal sulfides. In order for the head to ignite slowly and evenly, without an explosion, so-called fillers are added to the mass - glass powder, iron oxide (III), etc. The binding material is glue.

And what does the skin paste consist of? The main component is red phosphorus. Manganese (IV) oxide, crushed glass and glue are added to it.

What processes take place when a match is lit? When the head is rubbed against the skin at the point of contact, red phosphorus ignites due to the oxygen of Berthollet's salt. Figuratively speaking, fire is originally born in the skin. He lights the match head. Sulfur or sulfide flares up in it, again due to the oxygen of the Bertolet salt. And then the tree lights up.

amo the word "match" comes from the shape plural the words "knitting needle" (a pointed wooden stick). Initially, this word meant wooden shoe nails, in this sense "matches" still exists in a number of dialects. The matches used to start the fire were at first called "incendiary (or samogar) matches."

In 1922, all factories in the USSR were nationalized, but their number after the devastation became an order of magnitude smaller. To the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in the USSR, about 55 boxes of matches were produced per person. At the beginning of the war, most of the match factories ended up on the territory occupied by the Germans and a match crisis began in the country. Huge needs for matches fell on the eight remaining match factories. In the USSR, lighters began to be mass-produced. After the war, the production of matches quickly resumed.

Signal - which give a bright and far visible colored flame when burning.
Thermal - when burning these matches, more heat is released, and the temperature of their combustion is much higher than a regular match (300 degrees Celsius).
Photographic - giving an instant bright flash when photographing.
Household in a large package.
Storm, or hunting - these matches are not afraid of dampness, they can burn in the wind and in the rain.

In Russia, 99% of all matches produced are aspen grater matches. Grating matches of various types are the main type of matches all over the world. Matchless (sesquisulfide) matches were invented in 1898 by French chemists Saven and Caen and are produced mainly in English-speaking countries, mainly for army needs. The basis of a rather complex composition of the head are non-poisonous phosphorus sesquisulfide and Berthollet salt.

Sweden in Russian is represented by a considerable number of common nouns - the concepts of "buffet", "Swedish family", "Swedish wall" and "Swedish matches" are used quite actively. But the Swedes themselves are almost completely unfamiliar with these terms. The Swedes recognize as their national invention only the famous Swedish matches - the very ones that the whole world uses today. Bo Levander, curator of the Museum of Matches in the Swedish city of Jönköping, spoke about the history of this invention:

History has not preserved the names of the first inventors of matches, but it is known that in Europe similar means for making fire appeared around 1530. The first self-igniting matches were invented in 1805 by the assistant of the famous French chemist Louis Tenard, Claude Chancel. The next step was the invention in 1827 by the English chemist and pharmacist John Walker of sulfur matches. And in 1830, the French chemist Charles Soria invented phosphorus matches, which consisted of a mixture of barthollet salt, poisonous white phosphorus and glue. Both those and other matches were very flammable, because they caught fire even from mutual friction in the box. Moreover, the danger persisted even after use - extinguished matches continued to smolder, which led to frequent fires.

- How did you manage to overcome these shortcomings?

The problem was solved by the Swedish chemistry professor Gustav Eric Pasch, who patented the famous Swedish match in 1844. As a combustible material, he used safe red phosphorus, putting it on the side of the box. On the match itself, Pash proposed to apply a slightly flammable material that created friction.

At first, these matches were made in Stockholm, but production was soon curtailed due to the extreme high cost of red phosphorus. And then another Swedish inventor, Johan Lundstrem, stepped in. He applied red phosphorus to the surface of the sandpaper and to the match head itself. Such matches were no longer harmful to health, easily ignited and did not dampen. In 1855, Lundström's matches were awarded a medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, and in 1864, the Swedish engineer Alexander Lagerman designed the world's first matchmaking machine.

- What explains the fact that the city of Jönköping has become the center of the Swedish match business?

Due to its location, Jönköping has long been a major trading center - weapons and sewing machines were made here, they sold bread and were engaged in navigation on the local lake. And in 1845, the first match manufactory appeared in the city, which was founded by Johan Lundstrem together with his brother Karl - then they still produced phosphoric matches. In general, the match business at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries turned into our “national sport” - there were 155 different match factories in the country. Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 20th century, almost all Swedish match factories either went bankrupt or were forced to unite into large concerns.

- What was the reason for this decline?

The fact is that electricity began to enter everyday life everywhere, replacing the fire used for lighting, heating and cooking. However, the Swedish match industry was on the rise again thanks to the Swedish engineer and entrepreneur Ivar Kroeger. Between the First and Second World Wars, this man was one of the largest financial magnates in the world. Ivar was born in 1880 to the Russian consul and banker Ernst Kroeger. His father owned two match factories, which ultimately predetermined the business orientation of the heir. In 1913, young Kroeger takes on the reconstruction of the Swedish match industry. But this is not enough - he aims to create a world monopoly of match production, in which he will become the only supplier. Kroeger begins to buy up and liquidate small match factories around the world, as a result of which he manages to bring up to 70% of the world's match production under his financial control.

- But then the man known in the world as the "match king" commits suicide.

Are you sure it was suicide? The official version says that on March 12, 1932, Kroeger shot himself at his Paris residence. However, the bullet fired in the heart was not found, none of the servants heard the shot, and the police investigation was not actually carried out. Moreover, despite the demands of relatives, they did not do an autopsy, and the magnate's body was cremated on the same day as he was taken to Stockholm.

Very influential forces were interested in the elimination of Ivar Kreger. And it is possible that they bribed the police investigation. No one knows exactly what happened, and to the question - how did the Swedish "match king" actually die? - still no answer.

- Is it true that your museum is the only one in the world?

At least that's how we present it to our visitors. The museum was founded exactly sixty years ago, in 1948, when the Swedish match business celebrated its centenary. About 25 thousand visitors come here every year. Many of our exhibits are unique - for example, an old match conveyor, almost 10 meters long. We also have things in our collection that cost a lot of money, but we do not exhibit them. There is also a collection of match labels - some of them are very valuable, but most of them were replicated in such quantities that they are hardly exclusive.

- Can we expect a fundamentally new match product to appear in the future?

The production of matches followed fashion in many ways - for example, important world events or inventions were often reflected in the design of matchboxes. But the match market today is not as big as it used to be, and matches are becoming more nostalgic than future-oriented.

The first matches were dangerous and deadly poisonous because they were made using yellow phosphorus.
The Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius also worked on the problem of phosphorus matches and discovered that red phosphorus could be used in matches instead of yellow. Red phosphorus is not a health hazard.
One of Berzelius's students, Gustaf Eric Pasch (1788 -1862), developed this idea and invented safety matches that were not poisonous and did not ignite on their own. He was a very gifted man and a professor of chemistry at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and was an inventor in many fields.
The match he made could not spontaneously ignite spontaneously, so it was called a "safe" match. It ignited only if it was rubbed against the side surface of the box, covered with a special mass.

In 1844, Gustaf Erik Pasch patented safety matches and J.S. Bagge started their production.
The difficulty was that the preparation of red phosphorus was an expensive and time-consuming process. Because of this, safety matches were not affordable for everyone. In addition, red phosphorus was not always good quality, therefore, matchboxes, on which matches were lit, quickly became unusable. Pasha's patent was valid for only eight years, during which time the inventor of safety matches failed to find a solution to the problem. The production of safety matches soon ceased and Pash died in poverty.
The Lundström brothers created the famous Swedish matches based on the ideas of Gustaf Erik Pasch. They founded a factory in Jönköping, which became one of the leaders in the match industry. Until now, in many countries safety matches are called "Swedish".
The Lunström brothers helped the Swedish match conquer the world. Johan Edvard Lundström (1815-1888) modified the patent of the Swedish chemist Gustaf Erik Pasch and re-patented safety matches. His younger brother Carl Frans Lundström (1823-1917) was an entrepreneur with many bold ideas. For example, one of his first ventures was the export of lingonberries, leeches and live capercaillie (for hunting) to England.
The match factory was founded in 1844-1845. In the early years of its existence, the Lundström brothers' factory produced matches from yellow phosphorus. The production of safety matches began in 1853 and at the same time Carl Frans Lundström began to export matches to England.
The Lundström matches were a great success at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855, receiving a silver medal for the fact that the way they were made did not endanger the health of the workers. But due to the fact that matches were quite expensive, commercial success came to the brothers only in 1868. Matches of this type are now called "Swedish": ”Allumettes Suédoises” in France, ”Schwedenhölzer” in Germany, and ”Swedish Matches” in England.
For a long time, matches were made by hand, from aspen, which has a strong and well-burning wood. From one single log, about 370,000 matches could be obtained. The tree was split into matches by hand, it was hard work that took a lot of time. Then the matches were dipped in large batches into sulfur, thanks to which the flame easily passed from the match head to the match itself. Later, Johan Edward Lundström figured out how to get rid of the smell of burning sulfur - matches began to be dipped in stearin or paraffin. Then the match heads were covered with a mixture containing rubber, starch and potassium chloride.

Matches at that time were usually kept in bronze cases. After the Jönköping Match Factory began producing safety matches, the Lundström brothers came up with the matchbox that is still in use today. Matchboxes were also made by hand.
Engineer Alexander Lagerman (1836-1904) started working at the factory in 1870. Lagerman is considered one of the first who contributed to the development of mechanized production. He began by inventing a machine for series production phosphoric coatings for matchboxes. Then machines for making matchboxes were invented. In the early 1880s, Lagermann designed a machine that filled matchboxes at a rate of 20,000 boxes a day. All these cars were kept in the strictest confidence, as Karl Frans Lundström was afraid of competitors. Because of this, Lagerman's inventions were patented only 20 years later. But even after such a long time, they were considered a novelty.
In 1892, Lagermann invented a machine that completely changed the match industry. The machine was filled with matches, which were dipped in sulfur, paraffin and match head mixture, dried and packed in match boxes. The whole process was automated and only three people were needed to operate the machine.
In the first years after its founding, the Lundström factory produced 4,400 matchboxes a year, and in 1896, seven million were already produced!
The "Swedish match" has survived to this day almost unchanged. The brothers Karl and Johan Lundström became the "fathers" of safety matches and thanks to them Swedish matches became known all over the world.

Matches were invented at the end of the 17th century. Authorship is attributed to the German chemist Hankwitz, who first used the recently discovered phosphorus for this. But it was only a prototype of a match. For a long time, chemists struggled with the problem of how to create inexpensive and harmless matches. After all, at first white phosphorus was used in matches, which was highly flammable (matches simply exploded) and harmful to health. Such matches were expensive and very inconvenient to use.

The problem was solved by the Swedish chemist Juhaan Lundström in 1855. He was able to stop the explosiveness of matches by replacing white phosphorus with red and guessing to impregnate the wooden handle and sandpaper, on which the match was lit, with ammonium phosphate. This reduced, on the one hand, flammability, and, on the other hand, made matches harmless, since red phosphorus was not toxic. This is how the famous Swedish safety matches appeared.

The invention was so important for that time that Lundstrem was awarded a special medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, which in value can be compared with modern Nobel Prize, but without a significant amount of money. In addition, after the award and recognition of Lundstrem, rumors appeared that he had stolen the idea of ​​​​a safe match from Gustav Pasha, who had proposed a similar idea eleven years earlier, but could not properly convey it to mass use. Who was the first is definitely not known. At least both were Swedes, and the match is called Swedish for a reason.

Lundström's safety matches turned Sweden into one big match factory. Half of the total volume needed for the needs of Europe was produced here. In addition to the fact that the inventor was Swedish, the country had significant reserves of inexpensive wood, and by being the first to produce safety matches, the Swedes simply managed to capture a significant market share. In 1876, there were already 121 factories in the country that produced matches, which by the 30s of the last century were mostly ruined due to the global crisis.

The Swedes have long competed with the French manufacturers of sequisulfide matches, which appeared in 1898, and came out on top, remaining the most popular in the world. The only consumer who preferred sequisulfide matches was the British army. The fact is that such matches, unlike Swedish ones, burned with a faintly visible flame. Using Swedish matches at a halt, the soldiers became a good target for the enemy sniper. After the Boer War, it even became a bad omen to smoke from one match to the third. Indeed, on the first smoker, the sniper noticed fire, on the second he aimed, and on the third lighter he shot.

Later, the same Swedes completely removed phosphorus from the composition of matches, replacing it with bartholium salt, sulfur and iron oxide. And the very name "Swedish match" has gone out of use, although at one time this invention brought great benefits to mankind. Today, Swedish matches are still made, but they are intended mainly for collectors.

Matches can be attributed to relatively recent inventions. Before the modern match flared up in human hands, a wide variety of discoveries took place, each of which made its significant contribution to the evolutionary path of this subject. When were the matches? By whom were they created? What path of formation did you overcome? Where were matches first invented? And what facts are still hidden by history?

The meaning of fire in human life

Since ancient times, fire has been given a place of honor in Everyday life person. He played an important role in our development. Fire is one of the elements of the universe. For ancient people, he was a phenomenon, and about his practical application did not even guess. The ancient Greeks, for example, protected fire as a shrine, passing it on to people.

But cultural development did not stand still, and people learned not only to use fire properly, but also to produce it on their own. Thanks to the bright flame, the dwellings became warm all year round, the food received heat treatment and became tastier, the smelting of iron, copper, gold and silver began to develop actively. The first dishes made of clay and ceramics also owe their appearance to fire.

The first fire - what is it?

As you already understood, for the first time fire was produced by man many millennia ago. How did our ancestors do it? Simple enough: they took two pieces of wood and began to rub them, while the wood pollen and sawdust were heated to such an extent that spontaneous combustion was inevitable.

The "wood" fire was replaced by a flint and flint. It is a spark produced by striking steel or flint. Then these sparks were ignited with some combustible substance, and the same famous flint and flint were obtained - a lighter in its original form. It turns out that the lighter was invented before matches. Their birthdays were three years apart.

Also, the ancient Greeks and Romans knew another way to produce fire - by focusing the sun's rays with a lens or a concave mirror.

In 1823, a new device was invented - the Deberyer incendiary apparatus. Its principle of operation was based on the use of the ability to ignite upon contact with spongy platinum. So after all, when were modern matches invented? Let's look at this issue in more detail.

A significant contribution to the invention of modern matches was made by the German scientist A. Hankvatts. Thanks to his ingenuity, matches with a sulfur coating appeared for the first time, which was ignited by rubbing against a piece of phosphorus. The form of such matches was extremely inconvenient and required rapid improvement.

Origin of the word "match"

Before we figure out who invented matches, let's find out the meaning of this concept and its origin.

The word "match" has old Russian roots. Its predecessor is the word "knitting needle" - a stick with a pointed end, a splinter.

Initially, needles were called nails made of wood, the main purpose of which was to attach the sole to the shoe.

The history of the formation of a modern match

When modern matches were invented is a rather controversial moment. This is due to the fact that before the second half of XIX there was no International century as such, and various countries of Europe were the basis of various chemical discoveries at the same time.

The question of who invented matches is much clearer. The history of their appearance owes its beginning to the French chemist C. L. Berthollet. His key discovery is the salt, which, when in contact with sulfuric acid, releases huge amount heat. This discovery later became the basis scientific activity Jean Chancel, thanks to whose labors the first matches were invented - a wooden stick, the tip of which was coated with a mixture of Berthollet salt, sulfur, sugar and resin. Such a device was ignited by pressing the match head against asbestos, which had been previously impregnated with a concentrated solution of sulfuric acid.

Sulfur matches

John Walker became their inventor. He slightly changed the components of the match head: + gum + antimony sulfide. To set fire to such matches, interaction with sulfuric acid was not necessary. These were dry sticks, for the ignition of which it was enough to strike on some rough surface: paper with an emery coating, a grater, crushed glass. The length of the matches was 91 cm, and their packaging was a special pencil case, in which 100 pieces can be placed. They smelled terrible. They were first produced in 1826.

Phosphorus matches

In what year were phosphorus matches invented? Perhaps it is worth linking their appearance with 1831, when the French chemist Charles Soria added to the incendiary mixture. Thus, the components of the match head included Berthollet salt, glue, and white phosphorus. Any amount of friction was enough to light the improved match.

The main disadvantage was high degree fire hazard. One of the shortcomings of sulfur matches was eliminated - an unbearable smell. But they were harmful to health due to the release of phosphorus fumes. Employees of enterprises and factories were exposed to serious diseases. Given the latter, in 1906 it was forbidden to use phosphorus as one of the constituent components of the match.

Swedish matches

Swedish products are nothing more than modern matches. The year of their invention came 50 years after the very first match saw the light. Instead of phosphorus, red phosphorus was included in the incendiary mixture. A similar composition, based on red phosphorus, was also used to cover the side surface of the box. Such matches caught fire only when interacting with the phosphorus coating of their container. They did not pose any danger to human health and were fireproof. The Swedish chemist Johan Lundström is considered the creator of modern matches.

In 1855, the Paris International Exhibition took place, at which Swedish matches were given highest award. A little later, phosphorus was completely excluded from the components of the incendiary mixture, but it has remained on the surface of the box to this day.

In the manufacture of modern matches, as a rule, aspen is used. The composition of the incendiary mass includes sulfur sulfides, metal paraffins, oxidizing agents, manganese dioxide, glue, glass powder. In the manufacture of the coating for the sides of the box, red phosphorus, antimony sulfide, iron oxide, manganese dioxide, calcium carbonate are used.

You will be interested!

The first match container was not a cardboard box at all, but a metal box-chest. There was no label, and the name of the manufacturer was indicated on the stamp, which was placed on the lid or on the side of the package.

The first phosphorus matches could be ignited by friction. At the same time, absolutely any surface was suitable: from clothes to the match container itself.

Matchbox made according to Russian state standards, has a length of exactly 5 centimeters, so it can be used to accurately measure objects.

A match is often used as a determinant of the overall characteristics of various objects, which can only be seen in a photograph.

The indicators of the dynamics of the production turnover of matches in the world are 30 billion boxes per year.

There are several types of matches: gas, decorative, fireplace, signal, thermal, photographic, household, hunting.

Matchbox advertising

When modern matches were invented, at the same time a special container for them - boxes - came into active use. Who would have thought that this would be one of the promising marketing moves that time. Advertisements were depicted on such packages. The first commercial advertisement on a box of matches was created in America by the Diamond Match Company in 1895, which advertised the Mendelson Opera Company comic troupe. On the visible part of the box was a picture of their trombonist. By the way, the last remaining promotional matchbox made at that time was sold just recently for $25,000.

The idea of ​​advertising on a matchbox was accepted with a bang and became widespread in the business field. Milwaukee's Pabst Brewery, King Duke Tobacco Products, and Wrigley's Chewing Gum were advertised using matchboxes. Looking through the boxes, getting to know the stars, national celebrities, athletes, etc.