HOW PEOPLE FINALLY INVENTED THE LIGHTER

Tinderboxes have come down to us in a variety of forms. Usually, the tinderbox had to fit in the hand. This also applies to the wide variety of different boxes and pouches that are used to store kits and keep the tinder dry. While some are designed as pocket-sized versions for starting a fire on the go, others are designed for indoor use to light hearths, fireplaces, and candles at home.

In Southeast Asia, archaeologists are finding another type of tinderbox – a fire piston. Here, sparks are extracted by compressing air very quickly. The laws of physics say that when a gas is rapidly compressed, both its pressure and temperature increase at the same time. To create this effect, a piston is inserted into a hollow tube made of wood or bone, with the tip of the piston wrapped in tinder so that air does not escape from the tube when the piston is pressed in. Such ‘lighters’ don’t have an exact date of birth. They are being found in Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, Indochina, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the Philippines, Madagascar and South India. Most often, scientists attribute their appearance to the first millennium BC.

What has been known since primitive times in Asia, appeared in Europe only in 1745, when the French abbot Augustin Ruffaut invented a similar ignition device. It was patented simultaneously in England and France in 1802 and was made of metal or thick glass. And in the middle of the 19th century, the German engineer Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913) applied the principle of the piston tinderbox to create the engine that now bears his name.

The next step in the development of the lighter was the spread of firearms (which was impossible without gunpowder). The first firearms required the soldiers to have a source of open fire since the shot was carried out by setting fire to the wick. The rate of fire of such weapons was low. In addition, in bad weather conditions, the wick could go out. Therefore, automation of the process was required. This is how the impact flintlock appeared. In a flintlock, gunpowder is ignited by a spark produced by a spring-loaded trigger with a piece of flint clamped in it, sharpened on the front end. The flint must carve a spark by hitting a steel plate (the frizzen). The spark then ignites a small amount of gunpowder placed on the flash pan. The flame burns through a touch hole into the gun barrel, igniting the main gunpowder charge, and a shot occurs. Impact flintlocks also served as the basis for mechanical tinderboxes. Those used tinder instead of gunpowder and bullets and resulted into a sort of ignition pistol, or tinder pistol as it was called.iPyrophoric alloy (that is, sparking when friction occurs). Such a mechanism was described by the Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi, who was with the Ottoman diplomatic mission in Vienna: ‘Tinder, steel, sulphur and resinous wood are enclosed in a sort of a tiny box. Upon impact, like that of a firearm wheel, the wood catches fire. This is useful for soldiers on campaign missions.’ Tinder pistols were usually made out of old weapons, so they often didn’t work on the first try. They were inconvenient for regular use in everyday life and rather served to impress the public.

In the 19th century, several ignition devices were created that worked off of a chemical reaction. And although they are considered prototypes of the modern lighter, such devices were bulky and uncomfortable. They had to be recharged with hazardous substances (like sulphuric acid). The pocket gasoline lighter was patented in 1867 in the United States. This lighter is the most similar to the ones that people can buy in almost any supermarket today. This lighter had a flint stone, from which sparks were carved using a wheel. This simple mechanism was installed on top of a reservoir with gasoline with a wick inserted into it. Later, natural flint was replaced by more modern alloys, and liquified gas is now used instead of gasoline in cheap lighters.

The First World War gave a boost to the popularity of lighters. In the trenches, soldiers often relied on matches, but in the dark, using them was neither practical nor safe, as the sudden flare could expose their positions. This led to the ingenious creation of makeshift lighters fashioned from spent shell casings. As metallurgy advanced, natural flint in lighters became harder to come by, prompting the substitution of ferrocerium,iPyrophoric alloy (that is, sparking when friction occurs). a change that allowed for the production of smaller, more user-friendly lighters. The world of lighters was also significantly influenced by cigarette smoking habits. After World War I, many veterans found it challenging to light up with both hands, which prompted English inventors Frederick Charles Wise and Willie Greenwood to revolutionize lighter design. They ingeniously reconfigured the wheel to have a horizontal axis, a design they patented and later sold to the "Alfred Dunhill" company.iA large company specializing in the production of men's goods, from cufflinks to perfumery.

As time went on, lighter manufacturers engaged in spirited competition, focusing on design aesthetics, user-friendliness, and the simplicity of ignition. The 1930s marked the emergence of Zippo, a pioneering company that introduced game-changing features like a hinged lid (famous for its distinctive click) and a wind guard for the wick. The demand for lighters during wartime played a pivotal role in their growing popularity. Notably, Zippo became a key supplier to the American military during World War II and the Vietnam War.iConflict between North and South Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. North Vietnam was supported by the USSR and China, and the South by the USA. Starting from 1965, the USA engaged in direct military involvement in the conflict.

In 1947, Paris witnessed the unveiling of the first gas-operated lighter, a departure from the conventional wick, featuring a specialized valve. However, the mass production of this type of lighter didn't take off until the invention of the plastic disposable lighter (the iconic colorful version) in 1973 by the Bic company. Subsequently, Swedish Match, a Swedish company, also jumped on the bandwagon, producing bright-colored disposable lighters under the Cricket brand.

Today's lighters have evolved beyond the traditional wheel and flint mechanisms. They generate flames at the touch of a button, harnessing electricity. Remarkably, these lighters don't rely on batteries; they are known as piezoelectriciFrom Greek πιεζω, piezo, ‘to press’. lighters. The ignition process, based on the piezoelectric effect discovered by the Curie brothers in 1880, involves generating electric charges on the surfaces of specific crystals when they are subjected to pressure. The adoption of piezoelectricity in lighters gained momentum in the latter half of the 20th century and even found its way into gas stoves due to its enhanced safety features.