Word: splints
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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Matchmaking. Chemist John Walker of Stockton-on-Tees, England, invented the first match, exactly 101 years ago. It was called a "friction light." It consisted of a wooden splint, one quarter inch in width, dipped in a mixture of sulphide of antimony, chlorate of potash, gum and starch.* The next epoch in matchmaking was brought about by the use of phosphorus. Over-inflammable, phosphorus matches caused many a fire. Factory hands, employed in their production succumbed to an incurable disease called phossy-jaw. The dangers of these matches at length were recognized in the laws of most nations, including matchmaking...