STORIES OF USEFUL INVENTIONS, excerpt
By S. E. Forman
1911
THE MATCH
There never was a time when the world was without fire, but there was a time when men did not know how to kindle fire; and after they learned how to kindle one, it was a long, long time before they learned how to kindle one easily. In these days we can kindle a fire without any trouble, because we can easily get a match; but we must remember that the match is one of the most wonderful things in the world, and that it took men thousands of years to learn how to make one. Let us learn the history of this familiar little object, the match.
Fire was first given to man by nature itself. When a forest is set on fire by cinders from a neighboring volcano, or when a tree is set ablaze by a thunderbolt, we may say that nature strikes a match. In the early history of the world, nature had to kindle all the fires, for man by his own effort was unable to produce a spark. The first method, then, of getting fire for use was to light sticks of wood at a flame kindled by nature—by a volcano, perhaps, or by a stroke of lightning. These firebrands were carried to the home and used in kindling the fires there. The fire secured in this way was carefully guarded and was kept burning as long as possible. But the flame, however faithfully watched, would sometimes be extinguished. A sudden gust of wind or a sudden shower would put it out. Then a new firebrand would have to be secured, and this often meant a long journey and a deal of trouble.
In 1827, John Walker, a druggist in a small English town, tipped a splint with sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony, and rubbed it on sandpaper, and it burst into flame. The druggist had discovered the first friction-chemical match, the kind we use to-day. It is called friction-chemical because it is made by mixing certain chemicals together and rubbing them. Although Walker's match did not require the bottle of acid, nevertheless it was not a good one. It could be lighted only by hard rubbing, and it sputtered and threw fire in all directions. In a few years, however, phosphorus was substituted on the tip for antimony, and the change worked wonders. The match could now be lighted with very little rubbing, and it was no longer necessary to have sandpaper upon which to rub it. It would ignite when rubbed on any dry surface, and there was no longer any sputtering. This was the phosphorus match, the match with which we are so familiar.
Which of the following is the best paraphrase of the first paragraph?
a) Fire often comes from nature, like from a volcano or lightening striking a tree. Before humans could create their own fire, it only came from nature. Humans first got their own fire by lighting sticks of wood from where nature caused a fire. People guarded the fires to keep them from going out, except that sometimes, it would go out. Wind or rain would put out the fire and then they would have to find more fire.
b) In 1827, a man named John Walker came up with a formula of friction (sandpaper) and chemicals (sulphur, chlorate of potash, and sulphid of antimony) to create the very first match. It didn't work incredibly well, as it needed a very hard strike and fire got everywhere, so he changed his formula later. Matches now needed less pressure and different chemicals and didn't need to be struck on sandpaper. These are the phosphorus matches that we still use today.
c) It took humans a long time to be able to create fire on their own. The invention of matches is amazing to learn about.
d) The earth has always had fire, but humans didn't know how to make it themselves. After they finally learned, it was hard for them for a while. Today, it's easy because we can just get a match, but matches are amazing. It took humans many years to learn to make matches, so let's examine the history of the match.