We’re pleased to have Charlene Raddon join us today with some fascinating historical tidbits. Take it away, Charlene!
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Friction matches allowed people to light fires quickly and efficiently, changing domestic arrangements and reducing the hours spent trying to light fires using more primitive means. But they also created horrific suffering for match-makers: White phosphorus was one of the substances used in some of the first friction matches. Prolonged exposure to it gave many workers the dread “phossy jaw.”
A British pharmacist named John Walker invented the match by accident in 1826. He was working on an experimental paste to be used in guns. He had a breakthrough when he scraped the wooden instrument he was using to mix the substances in his paste, and it caught fire.
Walker then produced “a flammable paste made with antimony sulfide, potassium chlorate and gum arabic, into which he dipped cardboard strips coated with sulfur.” He started selling his “friction lights” to locals in April 1827, and they quickly took off.
Walker never patented his invention, in part because “the burning sulfur coating would sometimes drop from the stick, with a risk of damage to flooring or the user’s clothing.” His invention was quickly copied by Samuel Jones of London, who started selling “Lucifers” in 1829. Advances in matches continued over the 1830s and into the 1840s.
Match-making became a common trade across England in “hundreds of factories spread across the country. For 12 to 16 hours a day, workers dipped treated wood into a phosphorus concoction, then dried and cut the sticks into matches.
As was typical in the the factories of the nineteenth century, matchmakers were predominantly women and children, half of them kids who hadn’t reached their teens. Working long hours indoors in a cramped, dark factory put these children at risk of contracting tuberculosis and getting rickets, as well as phossy jaw, a gruesome and debilitating condition caused by inhaling white phosphorus fumes during those long hours. Around 11% of those exposed to phosphorus fumes developed ‘phossy jaw’ about five years after initial exposure.
The condition causes the bone in the jaw to die and teeth to decay, resulting in extreme suffering and sometimes the loss of the jaw. Although phossy jaw was far from the only side-effect of prolonged white phosphorus exposure, it became a visible symbol of the suffering caused by industrial chemicals in match plants. By 1892, newspapers were investigating the plight of match workers.
One Salvation Army match factory worker, Mrs. Fleet, contracted the disease after working five years at the company. After complaining of tooth and jaw ache, she was sent home, had four teeth extracted, lost part of her jaw bone, and suffered excruciating pain. The smell of the dying bone, which eventually literally came out through her cheek, was so bad that her family couldn’t abide it. She lost her job, and no other match company would hire her. Phossy jaw was often compared to leprosy because of the physical disfigurement and the condition’s social stigma.
Eventually, match makers stopped using white phosphorus in matches, and in 1910, it was outlawed in the United States.
Giveaway!
Charlene is giving away two copies of The Outlaw and the Bounty Hunter, Book 2 in her Outlaw Brides series drawn from those who leave comments.
Do you use matches around your home or when camping?
If not, what newer invention do you use to light fireplaces, stoves, or grills?
I use matches to light candles. It isn’t very often, because I have an infuser that I use most of the time.
I think it’s that way for most of us these days, Bonnie. Thanks for the comment.
No need for matches or lighters in this household.
Aren’t we lucky to live when we do, Kim? I don’t like darkness. First think I do in the morning is open the blinds to let in the light. Thanks for the comment
We use bic lighters that have a long neck on the end
Those Bic lighters are really handy, aren’t they, Rhonda? We used to always have a roaring fire going in our house but not anymore. So much easier to just turn on the heat. I miss the fires though. Maybe I’ll get my hubby to light one on Christmas.
Welcome again Charlene! We use bic lighters. I asked my husband if we even had matches just the other day! I’ve not seen any in years!
Many blessings!
Blessings to you, too, Tracy. I bet we don’t have any bic lighters. It’s been forever since we had an actual fire and I miss them. When we were first married, we laid a pad on the living room floor and slept into front of the fire just for the fun of it. It was like camping out. Thanks for commenting.
We usually use just a grill lighter but we do have matches here in the house. We have some here with the long sticks that we use to use to light the water heater.
Hey, Quilt Lady, always glad to hear from you. We have some of those long matches and a box of regular matches in a metal holder that’s attached the rock-work around our fireplace. We used to heat our house entirely with our fireplace. Now, we’re old and prefer the convenience of a furnace and quick heat.
We use matches all the time at our house, mostly for lighting candles. 🙂
We have some candles but don’t use them often. I don’t know why. I should start lighting them. They’re great atmosphere, aren’t they? Thanks for the comment.
I do have matches (both the long ones and the regular ones), but I typically use the long lighters.
We just use matches but don’t light our fireplace anymore. Just talking about it makes me want to go start a fire.
We haven’t used matches for many years. Instead, we use the lighters which have been on the market for quite a while, Bic lighters. When I used to smoke, I used Zippo lighters of had my own personal lighter which ran on lighter fluid. When we used to camp many years ago, I believe we used to use stick matches. It is too long ago to recall.
We have camped for years either. Got too old, I guess. I mean we got old, not the camping. I’d love to try it again, though. But we camp with a travel trailer and with my bad knee I don’t know if I could get into it anymore. We don’t have the energy for it all either. Wishing you well.
I have matches but use them so seldom that, much of the time, they refuse to light because they are outdated. I prefer a long-neck lighter for most things.
Those long-neck lighters are handy. Since we don’t light our fireplace anymore, we don’t need one. I miss having fires, though. Thanks for commenting.
I use matches to light a campfire. I prefer that to other methods.
Where do you go camping, Debra? I live in Utah and we used to go camping all over our mountains here, plus Wyoming and Montana, even Colorado. Haven’t gone in a long time now and I miss it. Next time you go, think of me.
We have matches, but I don’t use them. I like using the long lighters.
I enjoying learning the history of matches. We’ve used so many over the years lighting campfires and the fireplace in our home. Thanks for reading my blog.
I use matches to light my candles.
I love how you spell your name, Joye. I love collecting names so I can use them for characters in my books. It’s interesting to see how people these days are using old names but spelling them differently. I like that. Thanks for commenting.
Something weird is going on here. I replied to your comment, telling you how I like the spelling of your name, but my comment disappeared. I’m trying again.
Love how you spell your name. Thanks for commenting.
Candles are the only thing I use matches for.
Yes, and we don’t use them at all. Well, once in a while I light a candle, but it seems kind of a waste since I have almost no sense of smell and can’t really enjoy them. Candles to add to the ambiance, though, so there is that. Thanks.
I replied once but it disappeared. Very strange. All this talk of candles makes me want to go light one. Thanks.
We use matches for lighting candles.
Anne, thanks for commenting. You seem to be among the majority today, everyone using matches for candles. Me too.
We don’t use matches anymore. We use lighters.
Yes, that’s what most people are doing. I don’t use candles much and we haven’t lit our fireplace in too long. Gotta change that. Best wishes
no
That’s short and sweet, but thanks, bn100.
The only method we use is matches which works very well.
Yes, us too, and then rarely. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
I use matches sometimes. My granddaughter like to blow them out as they have an electric stove and mine is gas.
I suppose most kids like blowing out matches or candles. I don’t remember if mine did. Been too long. Thanks.
Yes, we still use matches, my husband will lite up the BBQ grill with them or we will light candles with them. We also use the Stick lighters. Have a great weekend and Thank you for the chance.
You’re welcome, Alicia. Good luck.
I still use matches. I also use a long butane lighter for jar candles. I also have a rechargeable lighter.
I didn’t know you could get rechargeable lighters. Thanks for telling me. Wishes.
I use a combination of matches and butane lighter.
That seems to be pretty common. We just have matches but don’t use them much. Still, I bought a few antique match boxes. They’re fun to collect. Thanks for commenting.
I keep a decorative box with matches in it on my mantle. I also use matches most of the time to light candles. I hadn’t realized how long ago matches were invented. Thanks for the history lesson:)
You’re welcome, Alice. I love looking these things up and I’m often surprised to find what I’m looking for has been around longer than I thought. I should have talked more about the types of containers they used to keep matches in. I have a few and they’re interesting.
Very interesting article. I really enjoyed learning all these facts. Had never heard of phossy jaw, sounds like a terrible condition. I can’t imagine how horrible it was.
Yes I still use matches, although since they quit making strike anywhere matches, it is extremely hard to get one to actually light. Green matches are the worst. The sticks are so thin they sometimes break after they light and can cause a fire if you aren’t careful. My husband uses one of the long handled lighters. Guess I need to get me one. lol Thank you again for the article. We can always learn something new if we READ.
Yes, I love learning these little facts too. Never know when the information might come in handy when writing a book. Never have I had a character take out a fancy silver, engraved box full of matches. I should do that. It would have to be someone with some money, though. Poor folks probably just used the little cardboard boxes the matches came in. Thanks for commenting.
My father-in-law kept matches in a metal Prince Albert tobacco can in his pocket
I don’t use matches often. We have no need to start a fire. When I light candles I use a candle lighter.
What kind of candle lighter do you use? I just learned about the fancy little candle snuffers you could buy back then and they have reproductions now. Even Amazon has some.
Yes I use matches for outside uses and also when I had a gas cookstove Your book sounds like such a great read!
Thanks, Sarah. It is a fun read. You just have to love that lion.
No I don’t use matches. I’m kind of afraid of lighting them now with my eyes so bad. I use one of those lighters with the long handle. I light incense mostly.
Thank you for the match lesson. It was very interesting. I’m reading a retelling of The Little Matchgirl right now so now the selling of matches makes a lot more sense.
Wishing Blessed Holidays to you!
Blessed Holidays to you as well, Carrie. Thanks for commenting. I’ve never read the Little Matchgirl. Sounds interesting.
We use one of the long handled lighters. Just a little leary of matches.
Those seem to be quite popular. Thanks for the comment, Ann.
We don’t need them often these days but keep matches on hand. In our younger days we hiked/camped and used them to cook on camp stoves or campfires. Now we sometimes use a match to help a burner on the gas stove ignite.
We used to hike, camp, hunt and fish when we were younger too, Mary. I miss it. Thanks for commenting.
No, we don’t have much use for matches nowadays.
Me either, Diana. Thanks for commenting,.
I do still use matches. I light candles and oil lamps with them, and have long matches for our wood stove. We have the long lighter “guns” which my husband uses when he starts the wood stove and outdoor fires. He prefers that and I prefer the matches. We have a flint striker and I have used that. One time long ago, I tried to light a fire using the lens on my glasses to focus the sunlight. It worked very well. I haven’t tried the newer plastic lenses to see if they work. I have used a bow drill with the scouts but all we got was smoke.
P.S. The lion on the cover of your new book has me really curious. It isn’t the normal thing one thinks of when thinking of cowboys.
I’ve never tried starting a fire with glass or a bow drill. I doubt plastic would work the same as glass but it would be interesting to know.
Yes, the lion adds an unusual touch to my story and he’s quite instrumental to the plot. Thanks for commenting.
I use matches every time I need to start a fire in the sauna stove.
I’m unaware what a sauna stove is. I assume it has to do with a sauna but can’t imagine one having a stove. Interesting. Thanks for commenting
It’s the thing that heats up the sauna.
Usually it is the kind of sauna stove that is heated with wood, but in towns and cities it’s usually heated with electricity.
Thanks for the explanation
I use a combination.