dc.description.abstract |
The development of matches was
preceded by centuries .of exp~riment
with many methods of fire makmg, but
the production of fire by spontaneous
chemical reaction was unknown until
the 17th century. A variety of experiments
continued until the friction
match, introduced in the 19th century,
provided a means of making fire that
was poketable, reliable, safe and speedy.
With early methods of fire production
it was common to use specially made
splinters tipped with some combustible
substance, such as sulfur, to transfer
the flame. An increased interest in
chemistry let to experiments to produce
fire by direct means on the splinter. |
en_US |