15,000 Years of Candles

Candles have a fascinating 15,000-year history of lighting and lengthening our days, religious and romantic overtones, technological development, etc. The Catholic Church has used beeswax from virgin bees for candles since the 12th century. There is a lot of chemistry and physics behind the beauty and light of a candle flame. Michael Faraday, the father of magnetism and electricity, delivered six lectures on the "Chemistry History of Candles" at the Juvenile Academy of the Royal Institution of Great Britain during the Christmas holidays of 1861. Individual entrepreneurship has always played a significant role in the history of candles. A shy Massachusetts high school student melting crayons to make candles in his parent's basement created the 1.75-billion-dollar Yankee Candle Company, which still dominates the market. The primary ingredient that sells candles is scent; you must pick them up and smell them. Join us for a review of candles from stones filled with animal fat and burning oily candlefish on a stick to today's soy wax candles with highly engineered woven and wooden wicks.