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History of Lighters Timeline

(1823–Present)

This timeline traces the evolution of lighters from early chemical fire starters to reliable flint, gas, electric, and modern disposable models. Less

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Go to: Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early lighter technology

Lighters serve soldiers on campaign

1662

The compact Viennese lighter was considered useful for soldiers on military campaign.

Early lighters use sulfur

1662

Sulfur formed part of the ignition materials in the early lighters manufactured in Vienna.

Early lighters use resinous wood

1662

Resinous wood was another material included in the early lighter design described by Evliya Çelebi.

Evliya Çelebi visits Vienna

1662

In 1662, Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi visited Vienna as part of an Ottoman diplomatic mission and observed lighters being manufactured there.

Image source: Evliya Çelebi

Evliya Çelebi visits Vienna

Viennese lighters use tiny boxes

1662

The Viennese lighters admired by Evliya Çelebi enclosed their ignition materials in a small box.

Early lighters contain tinder

1662

The early lighters described by Evliya Çelebi included tinder, which served as the material that caught and held the flame.

Image source: Tinder (app)

Early lighters contain tinder

Early lighters include steel

1662

Steel was one of the components enclosed in the early Viennese lighters observed in 1662.

Industrial innovation

Döbereiner's lamp appears

1823

The early lighter invented by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner became known as Döbereiner's lamp.

Image source: Döbereiner's lamp

Döbereiner's lamp appears

Döbereiner invents a lighter

1823

In 1823, German chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner invented one of the first lighters.

Ferrocerium becomes known as flint

1903

Ferrocerium is commonly called flint in lighter terminology, although that name is technically a misnomer.

Ferrocerium is developed

1903

Carl Auer von Welsbach developed ferrocerium in 1903, providing the material that became central to modern lighter ignition systems.

Ferrocerium enables modern lighters

1903

The development of ferrocerium made the modern lighter possible by supplying a practical source of sparks.

The butane lighter is invented

1936

Henri Pingeot invented the butane lighter in France in 1936.

Pingeot patents the butane lighter

1936

Henri Pingeot patented his butane lighter design in France in 1936.

Marcel Quercia acquires the butane patent

1936

Marcel Quercia acquired Henri Pingeot's patent for the butane lighter.

Quercia refines the butane lighter

1940 - 1944

During the German occupation of France, Marcel Quercia worked to further develop and refine the butane lighter.

Georges Ferdinand joins lighter development

1940 - 1944

During the German occupation, Marcel Quercia worked with Georges Ferdinand, a professor at the lycée Arago, on further development of the butane lighter.

Brands and products

Ronson releases the Pist-O-Liter

1910

Ronson released the first Pist-O-Liter in 1910, marking an early product milestone for the company.

Ronson develops its first lighter

1913

In 1913, Ronson developed its first lighter after introducing the Pist-O-Liter.

Wonderlite becomes a permanent match lighter

1913

Ronson's first lighter was called the Wonderlite and used a permanent match-style design.

George Grant Blaisdell invents the Zippo

1932

George Grant Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932.

The Zippo company is founded

1932

George Grant Blaisdell founded the Zippo company in 1932 alongside the invention of the Zippo lighter.

Flaminaire Gentry table lighter is introduced

Jun 1947

The development work by Marcel Quercia and Georges Ferdinand resulted in the introduction of the Flaminaire Gentry table lighter in June 1947.

France becomes a major lighter producer

1990 - 1999

Around the end of the 20th century, France was one of the countries producing most of the world's lighters.

The United States becomes a major lighter producer

1990 - 1999

Around the end of the 20th century, the United States was one of the world's major lighter-producing countries.

China becomes a major lighter producer

1990 - 1999

Around the end of the 20th century, China was among the countries producing most of the world's lighters.

Thailand becomes a major lighter producer

1990 - 1999

Around the end of the 20th century, Thailand was one of the world's major lighter-producing countries.

Safety and modern use

Electric vehicle lighters use heated wire

1990 - 1999

A common type of vehicle lighter uses an electrically heated wire, a design commonly found in non-commercial vehicles produced in the late 20th century.

Vehicle lighters begin to be phased out

2000

Once standard even in budget vehicles, vehicle lighters began to be phased out as smoking rates declined in the United States after the turn of the century.

EN ISO 9994:2002 becomes a primary reference

2002

The International Standard EN ISO 9994:2002 became one of the two primary references for lighter standards.

EN 13869:2002 becomes a European reference

2002

The European standard EN 13869:2002 became a primary reference for lighter safety requirements.

European child-resistance specifications are established

2002

EN 13869:2002 established child-resistance specifications for lighters in the European standards framework.

Novelty lighters are defined

2002

EN 13869:2002 defined novelty lighters as those resembling another object commonly recognized as appealing to children younger than 51 months, or those featuring entertaining audio or animated effects.

The fourth ISO lighter standard is released

2005

The fourth edition of the ISO lighter standard was released in 2005 as ISO 9994:2005.

Safety symbols are added to the ISO standard

2005

The main change from the 2004 standard to ISO 9994:2005 was the inclusion of specifications on safety symbols.

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Key Facts

  1. Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner invented the first practical lighter, the Döbereiner lamp, in 1823; it used hydrogen and a platinum catalyst.
  2. Mechanical flint-wheel lighters became popular during the 19th century because they were safer and more portable than chemical lamps.
  3. Ronson introduced the Banjo lighter in 1926, helping establish the push-button, one-handed lighter design.
  4. George G. Blaisdell founded Zippo Manufacturing Company in 1932, creating the famous windproof lighter.
  5. Disposable butane lighters became widespread in the 1970s, especially after Bic introduced its pocket lighter in 1973.

Source

This History of Lighters timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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