Swedish matches. The history of the Swedish match Is it true that your museum is the only one in the world

Matches were invented at the end of the 17th century. The authorship is attributed to the German chemist Gankwitz, who was the first to use recently discovered phosphorus for this purpose. But this was just a prototype of a match. For a long time, chemists struggled with the problem of how to create inexpensive and harmless matches. After all, at first, white phosphorus was used in matches, which was highly flammable (matches simply exploded) and harmful to health. Such matches were expensive and very inconvenient to use.

The problem was solved by the Swedish chemist Juhaan Lundström in 1855. He was able to stop the explosiveness of matches by replacing white phosphorus with red and having the insight to saturate the wooden handle and sandpaper on which the match was lit with ammonium phosphate. This reduced, on the one hand, flammability, and, on the other, made matches harmless, since red phosphorus was not toxic. This is how the famous Swedish safety matches appeared.

The invention was so important for that time that Lundström was awarded a special medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, which in value can be compared to the modern Nobel Prize, but without a significant amount of money. In addition, after Lundström’s award and recognition, rumors appeared that he had stolen the idea of ​​a safe match from Gustav Pasch, who proposed a similar idea eleven years earlier, but was unable to properly convey it to mass use. Who was first is no longer known for sure. At least both were Swedes, and it’s not for nothing that the match is called Swedish.

Lundström's safety matches turned Sweden into one big match factory. Half of the total volume required for the needs of Europe was produced here. In addition to the fact that the inventor was a Swede, the country had significant reserves of inexpensive wood, and by being the first to produce safety matches, the Swedes simply managed to capture a significant share of the market. In 1876, there were already 121 factories in the country that produced matches, which by the 1930s had mostly gone bankrupt due to the global crisis.

The Swedes competed for a long time with the French manufacturers of sequisulfide matches, which appeared in 1898, and came out on top, remaining the most popular in the world. The only consumer who preferred sequisulfide matches was the British army. The fact is that such matches, unlike Swedish ones, burned with a faintly visible flame. Using Swedish matches at a rest stop, the soldiers became a good target for an enemy sniper. After the Anglo-Boer War, it was even a bad omen to light one match with a third. After all, the sniper noticed the fire at the first person lighting a cigarette, took aim at the second person, and shot at the third person lighting a cigarette.

Later, the same Swedes completely removed phosphorus from the composition of matches, replacing it with bertholite salt, sulfur and iron oxide. And the very name “Swedish match” has fallen out of use, although at one time this invention brought great benefits to humanity. Today, Swedish matches are still made, but they are intended mainly for collectors.

The first matches were dangerous and deadly poisonous, as they were made using yellow phosphorus.
The Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius also worked on the problem of phosphorus matches and discovered that red phosphorus could be used in matches instead of yellow. Red phosphorus does not pose a health hazard.
One of Berzelius's students, Gustaf Erik Pasch (1788 -1862) developed this idea and invented safety matches that were not poisonous and did not ignite on their own. He was a very gifted man and professor of chemistry at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and was involved in invention in many fields.
The match he made could not spontaneously ignite, so it was called a “safe” match. It ignited only if it was rubbed against the side surface of the box, covered with a special mass.

In 1844, Gustaf Erik Pasch patented safety matches and the Stockholm factory J.S. Bagge started their production.
The difficulty was that preparing red phosphorus was an expensive and labor-intensive process. Because of this, safety matches were not affordable for everyone. In addition, red phosphorus was not always of good quality, so the matchboxes on which the matches were lit quickly became unusable. Pasha's patent was valid for only eight years, and during this time the inventor of safety matches was unable to find a solution to the problem. The production of safety matches soon ceased and Pash died in poverty.
The Lundström brothers created the famous Swedish matches based on the ideas of Gustaf Erik Pasch. They founded a factory in Jonkoping, which became one of the leaders in the match industry. Until now, in many countries, safety matches are called “Swedish”.
The Lunström brothers helped the Swedish match conquer the world. Johan Edvard Lundström (1815-1888) improved the patent of the Swedish chemist Gustaf Erik Pasch and re-patented safety matches. His younger brother, Karl Frans Lundström (1823-1917) was an entrepreneur with many bold ideas. For example, one of his first endeavors was to export lingonberries, leeches and live wood grouse (for hunting) to England.
The match factory was founded in 1844-1845. In the early years of its existence, the Lundström brothers' factory produced matches from yellow phosphorus. The production of safety matches began in 1853 and at the same time Carl Frans Lundström began exporting matches to England.
The Lundström matches were a great success at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1855, receiving a silver medal for the fact that the method of making them did not threaten the health of workers. But due to the fact that matches were quite expensive, commercial success came to the brothers only in 1868. Matches of this type are now called “Swedish”: “Allumettes Suédoises” in France, “Schwedenhölzer” in Germany, and “Swedish Matches” in England.
For a long time, matches were made by hand from aspen, which is a durable wood that burns well. From one single log you could get about 370,000 matches. The wood was split into matches by hand, which was hard work and took a lot of time. Then the matches were dipped in large quantities into sulfur, thanks to which the flame easily passed from the head of the match to the match itself. Later, Johan Edward Lundström figured out how to get rid of the smell of burning sulfur - they began to dip matches in stearin or paraffin. The match heads were then coated with a mixture containing rubber, starch and potassium chloride.

Matches at that time were usually kept in bronze cases. After the Jönköping Match Factory began producing safety matches, the Lundström brothers came up with the matchbox, which is still used today. Matchboxes were also made by hand.
Engineer Alexander Lagerman (1836-1904) began working at the factory in 1870. Lagermann is considered one of the first to promote the development of mechanized production. He began by inventing a machine for the mass production of phosphorus coatings for matchboxes. Then machines for making matchboxes were invented. In the early 1880s, Lagermann built a machine that filled match boxes at a rate of 20,000 boxes a day. All these cars were kept in the strictest confidence, as Karl Frans Lundström was afraid of competitors. Because of this, Lagermann's inventions were patented only 20 years later. But even after such a long time, they were considered a novelty.
In 1892, Lagermann invented a machine that completely changed the match industry. The machine was filled with matches, which were dipped in sulfur, paraffin and match head mixture, dried and packed into matchboxes. The entire process was automated and only three people were needed to operate the machine.
In the first years after its founding, the Lundström factory produced 4,400 matchboxes per year, and in 1896 seven million of them were produced!
The “Swedish match” has survived to this day almost unchanged. Brothers Carl and Johan Lundström became the “fathers” of safety matches and thanks to them, Swedish matches became known throughout the world.

As an invention, matches can safely be labeled “Made in Europe” - they do not have one homeland, just as they do not have one creator. They were improved for almost half a century in several countries. The chain of discoveries that led to their creation began in 1805 with the Frenchman Jean Louis Chancel, who created “dipper” matches. A mixture of Berthollet salt and powdered sugar was applied to a wooden stick. It was dipped in sulfuric acid - a chemical reaction took place and a flame was released. But it was very unsafe to carry a bottle of potent acid with you.

In the 1830s, France and Germany began producing matches similar to today's matches, but with the addition of phosphorus. They ignited easily on any surface, which turned out to be a problem: the matches could ignite even from rubbing against each other in the box. In addition, the white phosphorus used at that time is extremely toxic.

The Swedes had the decisive say in bringing the invention to standard. Carolingian Institute professor Gustaf Eric Pasch replaced white phosphorus with harmless red. In addition, he proposed adding phosphorus not to match heads, but to applying it to a separate plate, a grater, placing it on the box. But the fame of the creator of modern matches went to the manufacturer Johan Lundström, who took advantage of Pasha’s patent, whose validity had expired. For “his” invention, he received a medal at the Paris World Exhibition of 1855, and convenient and safe matches began to be called “Swedish” everywhere.

Since then, matches have changed little. This is a paraffin-impregnated aspen straw with a head, the main “working” components of which are Berthollet salt and sulfur. When rubbed, the red phosphorus contained in the grater reacts with Berthollet salt. When heated, the sulfur ignites and ignites the tree. However, the actual sulfur in a match head is about 4%, but there is four times more ground glass, which increases friction. In addition, the composition of “sulfur,” as a match head is commonly called, includes various coloring substances and bone glue that binds everything together.

"Petty" art

Czech engineer Tomas Korda devoted 63,310 hours of his life to creating objects from matches. The master made about a hundred items using more than 670,000 matches. This collection was included in the exhibition of the Museum of Records and Curiosities of the city of Pelhřimov. Some of the most amazing exhibits include a guitar, mandolin and violin that can be played.

Kidnapping from Europe

The word “matches” in Russian once meant wooden nails. And when the first matches appeared in our country in 1837, they were initially called incendiary or samogar. The production of “Swedish matches” in Russia was first established by the former peasant Vasily Lapshin in the 1870s. According to legend, he worked for some time in Sweden at the Lundstrem factory. The USSR became one of the world's leading suppliers of matches: products from the Proletarian Banner, Comet, and Baltika factories were exported to England, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Pakistan, Asia and Africa. In 1964, the Soviet Union took first place in the world in terms of match production.

Sweden in the Russian language is represented by a considerable number of common nouns - the concepts “buffet”, “Swedish family”, “Swedish wall” and “Swedish matches” are used quite actively. But the Swedes themselves are completely unfamiliar with almost all of these terms. The Swedes recognize only the famous Swedish matches as their national invention - the same ones that the whole world still uses today. The curator of the Match Museum in the Swedish city of Jonkoping, Bo Levander, spoke about the history of this invention:

History has not preserved the names of the first inventors of matches, but it is known that similar means for making fire appeared in Europe around 1530. The first self-igniting matches were invented in 1805 by the assistant of the famous French chemist Louis Thénard, Claude Chancel. The next step was the invention of sulfur matches in 1827 by the English chemist and pharmacist John Walker. And in 1830, the French chemist Charles Soria invented phosphorus matches, consisting of a mixture of Berthollet salt, poisonous white phosphorus and glue. Both matches were very flammable, since they caught fire even from mutual friction in the box. Moreover, the danger remained even after use - extinguished matches continued to smolder, which led to frequent fires.

- How did you manage to overcome these shortcomings?

The problem was solved by the Swedish chemistry professor Gustav Erik Pash, who patented the famous Swedish match in 1844. He used safe red phosphorus as a flammable material, applying it to the side of the box. Pash proposed applying a slightly flammable material to the match itself, which created friction.

At first, these matches were made in Stockholm, but soon production was curtailed due to the extreme high cost of red phosphorus. And then another Swedish inventor came into play - Johan Lundström. He applied red phosphorus to the surface of the sandpaper and to the match head itself. Such matches were no longer harmful to health, they were easy to light and did not become damp. In 1855, Lundström's matches were awarded a medal at the World Exhibition in Paris, and in 1864, Swedish engineer Alexander Lagerman designed the world's first machine for making matches.

- What explains the fact that the city of Jonkoping became the center of the Swedish match business?

Due to its location, Jönköping has long been a major trading center - weapons and sewing machines were made here, bread was traded and shipping was carried out on the local lake. And in 1845, the first match factory appeared in the city, which was founded by Johan Lundström together with his brother Karl - at that time they were still producing phosphorus matches. In general, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the match business turned into our “national sport” - there were 155 different match factories in the country. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, almost all Swedish match factories either went bankrupt or were forced to merge into large concerns.

- What was the reason for this decline?

The point is that electricity began to enter everyday life everywhere, replacing the fire used for lighting, heating and cooking. However, the Swedish match industry experienced a resurgence thanks to Swedish engineer and entrepreneur Ivar Kröger. During the period between the First and Second World Wars, this man was one of the largest financial tycoons in the world. Ivar was born in 1880 into the family of the Russian consul and banker Ernst Kröger. His father owned two match factories, which ultimately determined the business orientation of the heir. In 1913, young Kröger took on the task of reconstructing the Swedish match industry. But this is not enough - he aims to create a world monopoly of match production, in which he will become the only supplier. Kroeger begins to buy up and liquidate small match factories around the world, as a result of which he manages to bring under his financial control up to 70% of the world's match production.

- But then the man known in the world as the “Match King” commits suicide.

Are you sure it was suicide? The official version says that on March 12, 1932, Kroeger shot himself at his Paris residence. However, the bullet fired into the heart was not found, none of the servants heard the shot, and no police investigation was actually carried out. Moreover, despite the demands of relatives, an autopsy was not performed, and the tycoon’s body was cremated on the same day he was taken to Stockholm.

Very influential forces were interested in the liquidation of Ivar Kreger. And it is possible that they were the ones who bribed the police investigation. No one knows exactly what happened, and the question is - how did the Swedish “match king” really die? - still no answer.

- Is it true that your museum is the only one in the world?

At least that's how we present it to our visitors. The museum was founded exactly sixty years ago, in 1948, when the Swedish match business celebrated its centenary. About 25 thousand visitors come here every year. Many of our exhibits are unique - for example, an ancient match conveyor, almost 10 meters long. We also have things in our collection that are worth quite a lot of money, but we do not display them. There is also a collection of match labels - some of them are very valuable, but most were reproduced in such quantities that they are hardly exclusive.

- Can we expect the appearance of fundamentally new match products in the future?

The production of matches largely followed fashion - for example, important world events or inventions were often reflected in the design of matchboxes. But the match market today is no longer as large as it used to be, and matches are becoming a nostalgic product rather than aimed at the future.

Abstract on the topic: “The history of the “Swedish match””.

Made by: Butakova Margarita.
gr. P20-14
Checked by: Pipelyaev V.A.

Taishet 2016

1. History of the “Swedish match”
Matches are a relatively recent invention of mankind; they replaced flint and steel about two centuries ago, when looms were already working, trains and steamships were running. But it was not until 1844 that the creation of safety matches was announced.

The prototype of the match was invented at the end of the 17th century. The authorship is attributed to the German chemist Gankwitz, who was the first to use recently discovered phosphorus for this purpose. Such matches were expensive and very inconvenient to use, and also harmful to health, since white phosphorus was a strong poison and, when burned, gave off a very unpleasant and harmful odor.

With the invention of red phosphorus by Schröter, the Swedish chemist Juhaan Lundström managed to find a solution to the problem in 1851. In 1855, the Swedish chemist applied red phosphorus to the surface of sandpaper and replaced white phosphorus in the head of a match with it. Such matches no longer caused harm to health, were easily lit on a pre-prepared surface and practically did not self-ignite. Johan Lundström patents the first “Swedish match”, which has survived to this day almost unchanged. In 1855, Lundström's matches were awarded a medal at the World Exhibition in Paris.
In addition, after Lundström’s award and recognition, rumors arose that the idea of ​​a safe match was stolen by him from Gustav Pasha, who eleven years earlier proposed applying red phosphorus to the side edge of the box, and a low-flammable material on the match itself, but was unable to convey his idea properly before mass use. Who was first is no longer known for sure. At least both were Swedes, and it’s not for nothing that the match is called Swedish.

Lundström's safety matches turned Sweden into one big match factory. Half of the total volume required for the needs of Europe was produced here. In addition to the fact that the inventor was a Swede, the country had significant reserves of inexpensive wood, and by being the first to produce safety matches, the Swedes simply managed to capture a significant share of the market. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the match business essentially became a “national sport” - there were 155 different match factories in the country. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, almost all Swedish match factories either went bankrupt or were forced to merge into large concerns.

Later, phosphorus was completely removed from the composition of match heads and remained only in the composition of the spread (grater).

With the development of the production of “Swedish” matches, the production of matches using white phosphorus was banned in almost all countries. Before the invention of sesquisulfide matches, limited production of white phosphorus matches remained only in England, Canada and the USA, mainly for military purposes, and also (until 1925) in some Asian countries.

In 1906, the international Berne Convention was adopted, prohibiting the use of white phosphorus in the production of matches.

By 1910, the production of phosphorus matches in Europe and America had completely ceased.

Sesquisulfide matches were invented in 1898 by French chemists Saven and Caen. They are produced mainly in English-speaking countries, mainly for military needs. The basis of the rather complex composition of the head is non-toxic phosphorus sesquisulfide (P4S3) and Berthollet salt.

At the end of the 19th century, matchmaking became Sweden's "national sport". In 1876, 38 match factories were built, and a total of 121 factories were operating. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, almost all of them either went bankrupt or merged into large concerns.