In order to answer the question of what was invented before - a candle or glass, we first consider the history of the creation of candles, and then glass. And compare. So, let's begin to plunge into the history of the creation of candles.
Dipped candles
People have been using candles as a light source for about 5,000 years. Despite the importance they occupy in our lives, no one will be able to accurately answer the question when candles were invented. There are theories that the first candles were invented in Ancient Egypt about 3000 BC. Of course, they looked very different and differed from modern ones. Egyptian candles were made from the core of the chytin, the reed served as a torch, which had previously been soaked in animal fat. The official mention of these light sources dates back to the 10th century BC. Then they looked like a wick placed in a container filled with a combustible solution. The history of candles among the ancient Romans developed very curiously. They twisted, and then dipped in a solution of fat papyrus. Due to the fact that part of the solution remained on the wick, it burned for a long time. Such candles were called macany, with their help they lit houses, as well as religious premises, they were taken on the road. Candles were widely used due to the cheapness and accessibility of fat, therefore they have been used for many centuries.
Historians claim that other civilizations made candles from improvised means, including from insects or plants. In China, candles were made from thick paper rolled into a tube, rice paper served as a wick , grain was mixed with insects for wax. The Japanese made wax for candles from walnut trees.
Conical candles
How did the modern candle come about? The history of its creation dates back to the 15th century. Until that time, all the candles were dipped. One inventor, who was originally from France, came up with conical candles, for this the wax was poured into the finished casting mold. Then the animal fat was replaced with beeswax, it smoked less, burned longer and smelled better. However, the cost of such candles was much higher, because they were used only in the church and in the homes of the aristocracy.
Other candle making techniques
American women made a small but important discovery: the wax obtained by prolonged boiling of some berries burns well and smells very nice. However, since this method of manufacturing candles is painstaking and time-consuming, it is not widely used.
In the 18th century, the whaling industry was developed, due to which spermaceti was added to the candles. This oily substance was obtained from the upper part of the head of the sperm whale. New candles were denser and tougher, which allowed them not to melt in the heat.
History of Inventions Affecting Candle Making
The 19th century was a turning point for the production of candles. In 1820, a chemist from France Michel Chevrolet isolated stearic acid from animal fat. Then stearin candles appeared , which became hard, hard and burned cleanly. Such candles are still popular in Europe.
Important in their story is the name of Joseph Morgan. He invented an apparatus through which molded candles could be made continuously. Thanks to a cylinder with a moving piston, such a technique independently removed candles from the machine after they froze.
In 1850, they were able to isolate a substance of natural origin from oil and refined it. Thus, in the production of candles began to use paraffin. This product burned cleanly and evenly, was cheaper than other combustible substances, but the problem of low melting point was solved after harder stearic acids were added to paraffin.
In 1879, Thomas Edison invented an incandescent lamp, after which candles began to be used more for aesthetic purposes.
Modern candles
Candles have remained in our lives to this day as an element of decor, as an integral part of creating a romantic or meditative atmosphere, even just as a pleasant and sweet souvenir. Candles aromatic, multi-colored, small and large, round and square in shape - all this is available today for any person.
Since 1990, the popularity of candles has been growing again, they began to look for new varieties of wax for candles: from palm oil, soy, etc.
Glass
What glass is, many know, it is not difficult. Glass is an amorphous substance. A solid can be obtained from it by cooling the alloy. A lot of the things around us are made of glass, without it our life would not be so comfortable. How did people do without mirrors, glazed windows, beautiful glass bottles, elegant and light dishes? Have you ever thought about when you invented glass? In the article we will try to answer not only this question, we will also try to compare and analyze what we invented before - a candle or glass.
Glass history
An interesting hypothesis was proposed by the ancient Greek philosopher and historian Pliny the Elder. He wrote a work entitled "Natural History" in the first century BC. The history of the creation of glass is set forth as a legend or legend about the ancient mariners.
Phoenician merchants brought natural soda from Africa along ships along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. During the trip they were overtaken by a strong storm, as a result of the ship sheltered in the nearest harbor. It was decided to wait for the best weather on the shore. Travelers lit a fire, decided to cook food. They were looking for what to put a large cauldron on, but on the shore it was empty and nothing suitable was found. Then the sailors brought massive blocks of soda from the ship, which were perfect for this purpose. In the morning, sailors found pieces of unfamiliar material at the site of the fire. Thus, glass was formed from a mixture of soda and sand under the influence of high temperature. The history of inventions is very often unusual and simple. The narrator, of course, is a very respected person, the version is interesting, but is it true?
In the twentieth century, they decided to check out the version of Pliny. Unfortunately, the experiment failed. It turned out that the temperature of the fire was not enough to melt the glass. So when did they invent glass? Obviously, it was created in other conditions and by other people.
Glass of ancient egypt
The question of what was invented before, a candle or glass, remains open, however, scientists believe that both of these discoveries belong to the ancient Egyptians. The fact is that in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs the first glass products were found, whose age is supposedly about 9000 years. It is believed that glass was accidentally invented when a mixture of sand and soda fell onto a raw clay product before firing. Perhaps the product was simple and did not require special attention, and, besides, it is not easy to clean raw clay. After firing, a thin glass layer formed on it, and with due attention, the master could notice it. He could only draw the correct conclusion. 5,000 years ago, Egypt made glass ornaments, colored dishes, and 3,000 years ago glass bottles for storing perfumes appeared. The first glass created by man was greenish or bluish because the sand had impurities.
Venetian glass
To be honest, it wasn’t man who invented glass; nature itself created it when it came out of red-hot lava millions of years ago. Thus, we can answer the question of what was invented before - glass or a candle. Since glass appeared on its own, millions of years ago, it entered human life much earlier than candles. The first glass found by man was not transparent, but unclear, almost black. It is called obsidian. Then, of course, man learned to make glass himself.
In the 1st century BC, people began to discolor glass with manganese. For the manufacture of glassware , special tubes were used with which it was blown. They got a flat shape much later. The first transparent flat glass was discovered in Pompeii during archaeological excavations. In the XIII century they were already known in Europe. Since then, glass production in Venice has become widespread. New eastern samples were brought from Constantinople. Gradually in Venice, they learned to make such glass and even improved its transparency due to the addition of lead to the alloy.
All glassmakers were very much appreciated, they were not even allowed out of the city, and they were threatened with death for trying to hide. Then, in order to avoid disclosing production secrets, it was decided to transfer all the workshops to the island of Murano, which is located near Venice. Glassware from Murano was very highly regarded at that time. Now this ware can be seen in various museums. Glassblowers made indescribable beauty vases, glasses, decanters and exquisite jewelry. In those days, glass items were a luxury item.
Glass use
Then mankind came up with an amalgam coating. So a mirror appeared. Glass was even used in construction; very often temples were built with its use. Many-colored stained-glass windows decorate many of them even now. Due to the ability of a certain shape of glass to refract light rays, the production of lenses has begun, which have become useful in science. Biology, medicine, astronomy - they all needed glass and lenses.
What was invented before - a candle or glass?
So, now the foggy and mysterious history of the appearance and development of glass production has become clearer, which helped to answer the question posed. Yes, indeed, glass appeared before candles, but the exact date of both of these discoveries is still unknown. So far, gratitude for such useful things is addressed to the ancient Egyptians.