Matches

Matches are a quick way to make fire. They are made of a small wooden or paper stick with a special tip. When you rub the tip on a rough strip, it lights up. People use matches to light candles, stoves, and campfires.

How Matches Began

The first modern match was made in 1826 by John Walker in England. He called them friction lights. Early matches were dangerous and sometimes caught fire in pockets. Safer matches were invented later in Sweden in the 1850s.

How Matches Work

A match tip has chemicals that can burn very easily. When you scratch the tip, the rubbing makes heat. The heat makes the chemicals start to burn. Safety matches need a special strip on the box to light, which makes them safer.

Fun Facts

• Before matches, people used flint and steel to make fire.
• The word match comes from an old word for a wick.
• Waterproof matches can light even when wet.

Did You Know?

Early matches were sometimes called Lucifers because of the scary smell they made when they burned.