Author: The history of candles is a long and interesting one. We have been using them for light for many centuries. Over that time candles have been made out of various substances. Some of these were better than others. Let's look further into this history to see what we find.
No one knows when the very first candle was lit for sure. But the first people to make certain advances with something that could be called a forerunner to the candle were the ancient Egyptians. It was basically a reed soaked in the fat from animals. It was known as a rushlight and got lit on the end.
The Romans have the distinction of discovering the candle with a wick. All of the early candles were made from tallow which is another name for animal fat. The good thing about tallow is it was cheap; the bad thing was that it produced smoke when it burned, and did not smell very good at all.
Then advancement was made in the history of candles, namely beeswax. It was found that beeswax could be melted and made into candles during the Middle Ages. This type of wax burned clean and had no foul odor. The main problem with the beeswax was that it was expensive, so only the wealthy could afford to use candles made from it. The poorer folks still had to use the tallow candles.
Candle makers kept searching for better substances to make candles out of. During colonial times in America they discovered that the berries from the bayberry plant could be used to make a wax. The berries were boiled to make a wax that had a sweet scent. This did away with the odor and the smoking problems seen in tallow. But there was so much labor involved in making this wax that the process did not become popular.
Then during the 18th century another significant advancement was made in candle making. It was found that a wax could be made using whale oil that came from the whale's head. The wax was oily but with a hard consistency. There was no odor or taste to it. Candles could now be mad for the masses at prices they could afford. They burned well with no odor to them. Whales starting being over used though, but by this time petroleum had been discovered for a source of lighting.
During the 19th century the industrialization period came along which helped modernize many areas of life. Improvements were also made in candle making during this time. Paraffin wax was discovered and it was a great quality wax which machines could shape into candles. This made them extremely affordable for the public.
Then the candle making became not as important when the electric light bulb was invented in 1879. Then the history of candles enjoyed resurgence at the change of the centuries.
Today the history of candles goes on with hobbyists enjoying the candle-making process. Also many different shapes sizes of candles can be purchased out of the stores. Candlelight is still used in homes but not so much out of necessity as the warmth of light they give off.
Peggy Devereaux is an expert candle maker. For more great information about the amazing history of candles, visit http://www.candlemakeranswers.com
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