Paraffin Wax (The Modern Candle)
Clean, bright light for the masses.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →German chemist Carl von Reichenbach identified paraffin wax while attempting to refine petroleum. Combined with the earlier discovery of stearic acid, this completely revolutionized the candle industry.
Verified Facts
- Before the 1830s, you either had to be extremely wealthy to afford clean-burning beeswax candles, or you had to burn tallow (animal fat) candles, which smoked heavily and smelled like rotting meat.
- Paraffin wax was cheap, odorless, and burned brightly without smoking, finally bringing high-quality lighting to the working and middle classes.
- It was the final, perfected iteration of the candle, arriving just a few decades before the electric lightbulb made candles obsolete for pure utility.