Matches can be traced back to ancient civilizations in attempts to create fire. Matches, or something similar, were first recorded in ancient China when bamboo sticks were coated with a mixture of sulfur and other chemicals and then ignited by being struck against a rough surface.
In the early 19th century, scientists attempted to develop a more convenient way to start fires. John Walker, an English chemist and apothecary invented one of the first matches, the friction match, in 1826.
