A match is a tool for starting a fire, typically made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper with one end coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. The first commercially successful friction match was invented by John Walker, a chemist and pharmacist in Stockton-on-Tees, England, during experiments in 1826, with sales first recorded in 1827. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own accountSource gives 1826 as the likely experimentation date and 7 April 1827 as the first recorded sale. FAQs
Did John Walker patent his friction match?
No. He thought it would benefit mankind, and rivals who protected their own versions took the market.
No. Stockton Heritage says John Walker did not patent his invention because he thought it would benefit mankind, while other inventors protected their own spin off developments. With rival matches, especially the Lucifers, gaining a well established market, Walker ceased production in the early 1830s. He kept trading as a chemist until he retired and sold the business in 1858.
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Source Match (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Match (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section (entity-description)
A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface.
History section (Walker)
The first commercially successful friction match was invented by John Walker, an chemist and pharmacist in Stockton-on-Tees, England. This may have occurred during experiments in 1826 but his sulphurata hyperoxygenata frict. were first recorded in a note on a sale upon credit on 7 April 1827.
Invented By: John Walker, History section (inventor attribution)
The first commercially successful friction match was invented by John Walker, an chemist and pharmacist in Stockton-on-Tees, England.
In Group: Fire-Making Devices, Lead paragraph
A match is a tool for starting a fire.
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