Matches have served people for several centuries. This is a very convenient and inexpensive way to make fire and a truly irreplaceable thing in everyday life. And it is not without reason that our calendar even contains a special holiday dedicated to the match.
Chinese invention
In fact, matches have a rather long and interesting history. A very widespread version is that the first to use something similar to matches were the Chinese in the Middle Ages. Chinese chronicles dating back to the 13th century describe thin splinters with ends impregnated with sulfur, which ignited as a result of contact with some smoldering material (but not by striking!).
By the 15th century, this Chinese know-how was also learned in the Old World, but it did not receive much distribution here. And this is not surprising: the Chinese "matches" were not self-igniting.
The first variants of matches in Europe
In 1805, a scientist from France Jean Chapsel presented to the public his wooden matches, which lit up when the head (it consisted of berthollet's salt, sulfur and cinnabar) touched sulfuric acid. These matches, however, had a serious drawback - they could not boast of being safe to use. With careless ignition, the sulfuric substance could well have scattered on different sides. This drawback, however, did not prevent enthusiasts in 1813 in Austrian Vienna from opening the first manufactory focused on the production of such matches.
In 1826, the Englishman John Walker took the next step - he made matches from a mixture of antimony sulfide, berthollet salt and gum arabic. It was easy to light such a match: you just had to rub its head on sandpaper or other rough surface. Walker's products were packed in special tin cases, which in Great Britain were called "congreves".
Four years later, in 1830, the French chemist Charles Soria created another type of matches - phosphoric ones. Their features were due to the presence of so-called white phosphorus in the composition of the heads. They were very flammable, and sometimes caught fire even inside the box - as a result of mutual friction. In addition, white phosphorus is very toxic, which means that Soria matches could cause serious harm to human health.
The invention of "Swedish matches" and their differences from modern
In 1847 in Sweden, chemist Schroetter managed to obtain red phosphorus, safe for humans. And in 1855, the Swede Johan Lundstrom began to use this particular type of phosphorus to create his matches. He applied red phosphorus to both the head and the sandpaper. As a result, such matches began to be called "Swedish".
They were soon produced and sold all over the world. They also appeared in Russia. By 1913, there were more than 200 manufacturers of matches in the Russian Empire. By the way, the very word "matches", according to experts, comes from the Old Russian "knitting needle" - as in Ancient Russia they called a sharp wooden stick, a wooden carnation.
It is worth noting that current matches in general have many similarities with Lundstrem's matches. But there are, of course, certain differences. One of them is as follows: Swedish matches contained chlorine compounds, while modern ones use paraffins and chlorine-free oxidants instead of these compounds. In addition, modern products have significantly reduced sulfur levels.
Holiday date and how to celebrate it
International Day of the Match is celebrated on March 2. No large-scale celebrations on this occasion are usually arranged. But on the other hand, this day is great for, for example, making houses and other crafts from matches with children. Another entertainment option is the popular matchstick puzzles, a huge variety of them have been invented by now.
You should also be aware that in Russia there is even a separate museum dedicated to this useful household item - it is located in the city of Rybinsk. There on March 2 (as well as on other days) you can see old varieties of matches and amazing collections of boxes of different times and formats. There are certainly similar museums in other countries - Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.
