An accidental discovery

In October 1829 Isaac Holden arrived, independently, at the same idea of coating wooden splinters with sulphur, and Samuel Jones of London produced an exact copy of Walkers “Friction Lights” and launched his own “Lucifers” in 1829.

Matches were first patented in the United States of America in 1836. They were smaller in size and safer to use than those sold by Walker, replacing the antimony sulfide in Walker’s matches with white phosphorus. A French chemist, Charles Sauria, had invented the first phosphorus-based match in 1830.

White phosphorus was later banned for public usage because of its toxicity. Today’s modern matches were created by the Swedish chemist, Gustaf Erik Pasch.

Strike committee of the Matchmakers Union: Women who worked 14 hours a day in the East End of London and who were exposed to deadly phosphorous vapours on a daily basis.

Working with white phosphorous – was highly toxic and responsible for the devastating disease known as “phossy jaw”.