Fireplace Lowdown

History of Matches

Matches sure make lighting a fire easy, don't they?  What's interesting is how recent of an invention they are, in the grand scheme of human history anyway.  We didn't get matches as we know them until the late 1800s.  Before that it was flint and steel and let's not let the fire burn out because it's a big pain to light it again.

If you're interested on the topic (or just need some trivia to print off and read in the loo), here's a couple sites with information on the history of matches:

Development of Matches
Who Invented Matches?

Starting Fires with Flint and Steel

Back before matches, people used flint and steel to create sparks which could be fanned into a fire. Ever wonder how that works exactly? Making Fire with Flint & Steel goes into the history and methods for starting a fire the old fashioned way. Probably not a good idea to try this in the living room, but it might be fun on your next camping trip.

History of Fireplaces

Curious about the history of fireplaces?

The Fireplace through History offers the history of fireplaces back to the first fires built on the floors of huts and goes through the evolution of flues and chimneys.

Castle Fireplaces offers a short article describing the evolution of castle fireplaces (which provided the only source of heat) including how fireplaces (AKA ovens) were the primary means for cooking in the castle kitchens.