The history of the friction match begins with the discovery of phosphorus at Hamburg in 1670. In that ancient German city, Brand, an alchemist in search of the philosopher's stone and a method of turning base metals into gold made a chemical discovery. He had prepared a liquid from urine that was reputed to have the power of transmuting silver into gold, and while brewing this liquid he discovered phosphorus. Phosphorus unites with oxygen so well that spontaneous ignition occurs on exposure to air. The value of this was early recognized for an improvement over the flint and tinderbox for obtaining a flame but its control was not mastered for over a century after Brand's discovery.

One of the first uses of phosphorus for striking a light was to rub it on brown paper and then folding the paper draw a sliver of wood between the papers thus treated. This sliver required a sulphur tip, and this method required great skill in handling to prevent the user being burned by the ignition of the phosphorus. This method was followed by the phosphoric taper, a device consisting of a sealed glass tube containing a small quantity of phosphorus, and a small length of waxed thread; ignition occurring on contacting the atmosphere. This was the first "pocket lighter."

In 1810, Cagniard de Latour invented his so called "Phosphorus Bottle" which contained partially oxidized phosphorus and was used in conjunction with a splint tipped with sulphur which was ignited by friction. The friction matches that did not require a bottle or other apparatus to ignite the splint is an invention claimed for Francois Derosne in 1816.

But it was not until 1827 that a really useful friction match was produced. John Walker, a druggist of Stockton on Tees, England, produced this match. His matches contained no phosphorus but consisted of chlorate-of-potash, sugar, and gum arabic. To strike this match it was necessary to draw it rapidly, and with considerable pressure, through a piece of folded sandpaper.

Imitations of this match known as "Lucifers" were sold by Samuel Jones of London and by G. F. Watts. An attempt to place a special striking surface on the box containing the splints was made by the manufacturer of "Congreves." This preparation consisted of chlorate-of-potash, antimony sulphide, oxide of lead, sulphur, and gum arabic. But a real match that was easily ignited by friction was not achieved until the experimenters went back to phosphorous and evolved a suitable mixture for tipping the match stick. This was done by Dr. Charles Sauria of St. Lothair in 1831. His formula was not patented and was made use of by match makers at Darmstadt in Germany and at Vienna.

Smith in his "Morley: Ancient and Modern," London, 1886, writing of the early days of the 19th century tells use: "A friend of ours in Leeds tells us that in 1831 he was in Keswick, and was shown a very great curiosity, a box of matches. They were known as "Jones's Prometheans," and the price was 2s.6d.

Think of this fact, ye who buy your lucifers at two pence the dozen boxes! The matches of Jones were ignited by being dipped into a bottle containing a composition of some kind. Our first acquaintance with lucifer matches was made when they were sold in boxes containing about fifty, accompanied with a small slip of sandpaper loose, and the price was eighteen pence."

Since the days of this writer the lucifer has gone the way of the Jones's Prometheans, but his notice is valuable to prove that Jones was using the Latour system as well as the Walker formula in his match manufacture. The prices he mentions were certainly out of the reach of all but the wealthy. The same author gives us another anecdote in the history of matches, which we quote: "It may be news to many of our readers to learn that Mr. Isaac Holden, M.P., of Oakworth, is credited with being the inventor of lucifer matches. A statement to this effect was made by Mr. Golden himself before a Select Committee of the House of Commons. It appears that Mr. Holden, when about twenty-two years of age (in October, 1829), was a tutor in a large school at Reading. Not content to travel in the old beaten paths, he studied the science of chemistry, and once or twice a week gave the scholars the benefit of the same in experimental lectures. It shows the practical bent of Mr. Holden's mind that seeking to find some substitute for the old flint and steel, he stumbled upon the happy discovery that, by the use of chlorate-of-potash and sulphuret-of-antimony applied to a chip of wood, an instantaneous light might be produced by means of friction. To put it in the mildest form, the germinal thought was given in his next lecture. It so happened that one of the scholars in attendance was the son of a London chemist. The boy was deeply interested by the statement, and at once wrote to his father upon the subject. It appears that the gentleman seized upon the idea, for shortly after lucifer matches were issued to the world."

In 1834, John Marck opened a store in Park Row, New York, and drew public attention to two novelties. One was champagne-wine drawn like soda water from a "fountain"; the other was a self-lighting cigar, with a match composition on the end. These he called "Loco-foco" cigars. The mode of getting at the name is obvious. The word "loco-motive" was then rather new as applied to an engine on a railroad, and the common notion was that it meant "self-moving;" hence, as these cigars were self-firing, this queer name was coined. His patent for "self-igniting cigars" bears the date of April 16, 1834. The term "loco-foco" does not occur in the notice of his patent in the "Journal of the Franklin Institute," but was used in his advertisements; the term was also applied to matches of that day.