In 1826, British pharmacist John Walker was experimenting with a sticky concoction that he hoped would revolutionise the way guns were loaded. Walker’s invention would be a game-changer - just not in the way he expected.

One day, while stirring the mixture with a wooden stick, something peculiar happened - it caught on fire! The paste, made with antimony sulphide, potassium chlorate and gum arabic, proved to be highly flammable. So, he decided to dip some cardboard strips coated with sulphur into the mixture and voila! The first friction lights were born.

The term 'match' originally referred to the flammable cord used in dynamite or cannons, deriving from the Old French 'mèche' meaning candle wick. However, with the widespread use of friction lights, the term ‘Matches’ was eventually adopted for them as well.

‍