The word "match" itself comes from the old Russian word "knitting needle" - a pointed wooden stick that was originally used to knock out the soles of shoes.
Matches are made from various soft varieties of wood such as linden or poplar. There is a joke among the people that only in our country furniture made from pressed sawdust, and matches from real wood. Also, cardboard or paraffin is sometimes used as the main material for the manufacture. In addition, matches can be grater (make up 99.9% of the market) and hysterical, which ignite during friction against absolutely any surface.
The history of the invention of matches is very confusing, but it is believed that the Frenchman Chansel first invented them in 1805. The material is wood, the head is a mixture of sulfur and bertoletova salt. And the first match manufactory was founded in Vienna in 1813. Modern production of matches is carried out in accordance with GOST 1820-2001. In accordance with it, the tree is impregnated with a special solution, and then dipped in paraffin to avoid decay processes.
There are several types of this material: photographic matches - give an instant flash; hunting - burn even in the rain; thermal - characterized by a higher amount of heat generated during combustion; decorative - produced specifically for collecting and manufacturing crafts and other varieties.
I think that there is not a single person in the world who would not know about these wooden sticks with sulfur heads. Matches are great for making crafts do it yourself. Examples of such homemade You can find in mine articlespublished on this site.
In addition, matches are used in various logic games, as toothpicks or counting sticks for children. Also because according to GOST, the size of the matchbox is strictly fixed (5cm). They are used as objects of comparison, for example, for radio components. And collecting matchboxes has generally become a separate and very interesting hobby. Moreover, it is interesting that the first boxes into which matches fit were made of metal.
Experts estimate that the production of matches worldwide is 30 billion boxes per year.This number is not reduced, even taking into account the introduction of modern ignition technologies.