How CANDLES appeared | History of creation
Timecodes for fast transition:
Ancient candles 0:00
Medieval candles 1:16
How a candle became a modern candle 2:53
The first handwritten mentions of the production of candles date back to about the 3rd millennium BC:
1. In Egypt, they were made from dried reed. For impregnation, they took ghee of domestic ducks, as well as domestic animals.
2. In the Roman Empire and Greece, the lighting technology was based on the olive tree. The bowls were filled and the torches were soaked with oil of the fruit. The wicks were made from chips of dried wood.
3. In China, a wick, woven from strips of rice paper, was wrapped with a mixture of ground butter grains. To better hold the wick, powder from dried insects was added to it.
4. In India, candles were made on the basis of purple oil from the fruit of the cinnamon tree. The bark served as a wick. Most likely, the origin of colored and scented candle products begins in India.
It was only in the 15th century that beeswax was widely used for the manufacture of candles as a combustible material for candles. By the way, the cylindrical shape so familiar to us for casting candles was invented at the same time, in the 15th century, in France. Finally, the candle came to be called a candle.
The poor, on the other hand, were content with torches or candles made of animal fat.
In the Middle Ages, the candle became one of the cult items. Poems and songs were written about her, philosophical treatises were written, she was depicted in paintings. Candle craftsmen appeared who made fragrant, colored and unusual candles. Blacksmiths, potters and sculptors began to make original candlesticks. In addition, all the monks mastered candle-making, since candles became an obligatory church attribute and brought considerable income.
The candles were used for more than just lighting. Time was measured with their help. It is known that Charles V, who ruled in France, had a huge hemp candle burning in the chapel all the time. It was divided by stripes into 24 parts, where each piece was cast from wax of a different color. A special servant, who looked after this candle clock, informed the king when the light reached 12 and then 17. This is exactly how long - 5 hours - the royal working day lasted. These candle watches were extremely expensive.
By the way The famous expression "the game is not worth the candle" came from the speech of gamblers. It denotes a small win that does not compensate for the cost of the candles that burned out during the game.
The next and most significant stage in the history of the development of candle-making is the beginning of the 19th century. The mass production of candles was established, they became affordable for everyone. Here are the discoveries that made it possible to do this:
• 1820 - Frenchman Michel Chevreul invents a method for the production of stearin; stearic wax, which turned out to be hard and burned cleanly. This is what Michael Faraday writes in his book The History of the Candle of 1861 (!): “Thanks to the invention of stearin, the present candle is no longer a greasy, disgusting object like the old tallow candle was - no, this is an object so pure that drops do not stain things from it and they can be scraped off in the form of a powder ... "
• 1824 - Frenchman Jean-Jacques Cambarseiers invents a wick weaving technique and suggests impregnating it with boric acid;
• 1830 - German Karl von Reichenbach discovers the production of paraffin from oil; It has long become the main material for making candles, because its cost is significantly lower than other materials.
• And in 1834 - American Joseph Morgan presents the first machine for the mass production of candles.
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How CANDLES appeared. History of creation
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