Candle History Exploration Worksheet
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Candle History Exploration Worksheet
History Cards: How Candles Changed
Before electric lights, people used flames to light homes and workplaces after dark. In ancient times, people in several regions made simple lights by soaking plant fibres in animal fat or oil. These rushlights were not quite like the candles we use today. The ancient Romans made candles by repeatedly dipping a wick into melted fat or beeswax. A wick is the thread or fibre that carries melted fuel to the flame. After the ancient Roman period, for many centuries in Europe, tallow—rendered animal fat—was a common candle fuel. Tallow candles were relatively affordable, but they could smoke and smell unpleasantly. Beeswax candles burned more cleanly and smelled sweeter, but beeswax was costly, so it was often used by wealthier households and in religious settings. During the 1800s, new manufacturing methods made candles more consistent. Paraffin wax, made from petroleum products, became widely used in the mid-19th century. It burned more cleanly than tallow and could be made in large quantities. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, electric lighting spread through many towns and cities, including in Canada. Candles became less necessary for everyday lighting, though people continued to use them for celebrations, ceremonies, emergencies and decoration. Today, candles may be made from paraffin, beeswax, soy wax and other materials.
Explore the Evidence
Use the history cards above to answer each question. For written responses, more than one well-supported answer may be possible.
- A plant fibre soaked in animal fat or oil
- A wax candle made from petroleum
- An electric lamp with a glass bulb
- A beeswax candle made by a machine
- Near 500
- Near 1,000
- Near 1,500
- Near 2,000
- Wick
- Tallow
- Paraffin wax
- Rendered animal fat used as candle fuel
- Thread or fibre that carries melted fuel to the flame
- Wax made from petroleum products
3 printable pages
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Page 3
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