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221
Qin Dynesty
The earliest known candle was made from whale fat by the chinese in the Qin Dynesty (pronounced chin). This was found in the mausoleum of China's first emporer, Qin Shi Huang. More remnants of candles were found in the Han Dynasty, and Jin Dynasty. These Chinese early forms of the candle were made also by bees wax and seeds. -
Period: 221 to
Candles from Ancient China to Today.
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Jan 1, 1100
Europe
The northern tribes of europe used the oil from the "candlefish" or eulachon. They put the fish on a forked stick and simply lit it. -
Jan 12, 1400
Wicks
in the later Roman empire, the wick idea was introduced. A cord which was usually made of the pith of rushes, was placed in when the tallow was poured which was an earlier form of wax. -
Jan 1, 1500
Fall of the Roman Empire
After the fall of the roman empire, olive oil got more and more scarce so as a resort, the people of rome and 1500 b.c changed to a type of wax made from various extracts of plants. -
Early England and Paris
Candle making became a profession in England, and grew quickly. soon, the tallow candle was used in street lamps. -
The late 1700's
During the exploration of the new world, the first american colonists discovered that wax could be made of bayberries. But this didnt last long for the yield of wax was low (how much can be made out of a certain amount). Only one pound of wax could be made out of 15 pounds of bayberries. -
1800's
Spermaceti, brought about in the 1800's when the whaling industry increased; is the oil from the sperm whale. This type of oil did not have a bad odor/smell (unlike most others), and when burned created a much brighter light. This was the first major change to the candle since the middle ages. There had been modifications but no complete changes. -
1834
Joseph Morgan thought of a new machine which would be able to produce 1,500 candles per hour. Using a mold, a cylinder, and a movable piston; this would make candles affordable for the citizens and the masses. -
Decline of Candles
Candle making industry was drastically decreased when the kerosene lamp and lightbulb were invented. From this point on, the candle has become more of a party/show item, not really needing the actual light it produces. -
20th century- present
In the 1990's, there was a sudden increase in the sales of candles. because the variety of sizes, shapes, and even smells of the candles; sales started to rocket. 22 years later, candles are now used mostly just for specail events: religion, birthday parties, and decor of a house.
