An invention by Robert Boyle Matches An invention by Robert Boyle
For thousands of years people made fire by rubbing sticks together or striking flint and steel together.
Robert Boyle a scientist from the Renaissance discovered that rubbing sulfur with phosphorus would cause an instant flame. He tipped a wood splinter in sulfur and rubbed it against a paper coated with phosphorus.
But Boyle´s matches weren´t safe because they ignited too easily.
Boyle´s experiment led to … John Walker´s matches that were a yard long. Alonzo D Phillips made friction matches but they ignited too easily . Carl Lundstrom made the first safe matches with red phosphorus which is not as flammable as white phosphorus.
Sources Wikipedia Mysite.du.edu Ideafinder.com PowerPoint clip art Slides 2-4 paint by Bernardo Reyes