Biography AI on Instagram: "The Accidental Spark That Changed the World | Matchstick Invention Fire used to be a process—flint, steel, patience, and prayer. Then in 1826, one chemist made fire a one-second action. 🧪 John Walker, an English chemist, wasn’t trying to invent a matchstick. He was mixing chemicals in his lab when dried paste on a wooden stick ignited by simple friction. No drama. Just pure chemistry. By 1827, he was selling the world’s first friction matches called “Friction Lights.