history of the Lighter

The lighter was made by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner, a german chemist and professor of chemistry and technology at the Universisy of Jena in Germany.

He invent the lighter 1923 and named it "Feuzeug" or Döbereiner's lamp, and it worked on Sulfiric acid, zinc and hydrogen gas to light.

But is combination wasn't really safe as it was commonly to spontaneously combust or explode if left at high temptrues, and it was very difficult and cumbersome to use.

But even with the dangers of the "lamp", it became widespread around Europe, and an estimated 20,000 were in use. This caused some manufacturers to work to improve on the design of the lamp.

An Austrian scientist named Carl Auer von Welsbach, made the first flint lighers, whihc came to be known as flint, in 1903. It used. Even though they were called "flint lighers", they never really used flint as they used Ferrocerium which is a human made mixture of metals that made sparks.

Zippo lighter (coming from the word zipper) are the lighers that have the flipy thingy on the top with the open flame. And it was made by George Blaisdell in 1932 in Bradford Pennsylvania, it had a high flame that was windproof since the base of the flame was shielded by metal plate, the Zippo was made of brass but after WW2 it wwas made with cracker steel since of metal shortages during the war. 
Soldgerrs during WW2 held the zippo with crests of their military unit.

BIC lighers are the lighers are the sold by BIC (which makes up aroudn 35.5% of their yearly revenue), they started selling them in 1917, it was one of the only disposable lighers on the market since Zippo was made of steel and expensive to throw away. It was made to be relibile and affordable to the general public instead of buying expensive Zippo, just buy a cheep BIC lighter, and now they are everywhere as part.

Now the BIC lighers are used everywhere and are the most common lighers, aldought the classy people will buy a Zippo to fancy. Now you can use lighers everywhere and they are used in BBQ's and for lighting fires all around the globe.