Before Electricity, People Spent 10% of Their Income on This | History Documentary

By The Hidden History Project

Community Score: 50% | 245 views | 1mo

0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down

Before electricity, a working-class family in England spent nearly 10% of their entire income on candles. More than clothing. More than medicine. Just to see in the dark. In this episode of The Hidden History Project, we uncover the surprising story behind one of the most overlooked objects in your home — the candle. From 5,000-year-old Egyptian rush lights to medieval guild wars fought over wax, from a whale oil revolution that drove sperm whales to near-extinction, to the French chemist who accidentally built a $3.2 billion modern industry — the history of the candle is the history of human civilization itself. You'll learn about the working-class women whose labor made affordable candles possible. About Michael Faraday — the greatest scientist of his era — who used a single candle to explain scientific phenomena. And about how the candle survived electricity, gas lighting, and every technology designed to replace it. The history of the candle didn't start with ambiance

Tags: hidden history, candle history, history of candles, history of light, everyday objects history, history explained, interesting facts, did you know, invention history, candle making, spermaceti candle, unknown facts, hidden history project, Michael Faraday candle, chemical history of a candle, Victorian era history, whale oil history, industrial revolution history, everyday inventions, untold history