Which Came First, Lighters or Matches?

We depend on so many gadgets, tools, and devices during the course of a typical day that it can be easy to overlook how much these innovations have transformed our lives. It's also easy to assume that inventions that appear simple must predate those that seem more complicated. But that's not always so, as is the case with matches and lighters. Contrary to what one might assume, matches were not invented first. Döbereiner's lamp, widely considered the first lighter, was invented in 1823, while the first friction matches weren’t invented until 1826.

While there were previous attempts to create the match, it wasn’t until 1826 that the first friction match was created by an English chemist and druggist named John Walker. Five years later, Charles Sauria developed matches with white phosphorous, which proved more successful despite their toxicity. White phosphorous was used to manufacture matches until the 20th century, when less toxic chemicals began to be utilized.

On the other hand, German chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner is credited with inventing what is widely considered the first lighter in 1823. The device relied on a reaction of zinc and sulfuric acid to produce flammable hydrogen gas and was commercialized for lighting pipes and fires. Döbereiner's lamps were not very successful, however, because they were bulky, difficult to use, and not entirely safe. It wasn’t until 1903 that Carl Auer von Welsback developed the lighting flint widely used in cigarette lighters today.

Got a light?