Exclusive from (1001 Inventions That Changed the World) Book
Blog
Provider
|
RHN
Group Of Cyber World
|
Administrator
|
Rahul
Shampe
|
Preface
by
|
Trevor
Baylis
|
General
editor
|
Jack Challoner
|
Patent processed at
|
U.S.
Patent Office in Washington, DC
|
Published
|
By
Hachette India in 2013©
|
Official
Website
|
|
Facebook
Page
|
|
Email
Id
|
|
Blog
No
|
2
|
Contain Type
|
The
Ancient World
|
Invention
|
Controlled
Fire
|
Year
|
c. 2,600,000
B.C.E.
|
Fire is an essential tool, control
of which helped to start the human race on its path to civilization. The
original source of fire was probably lightning, and for generation blazes
ignited in this manner remained the only source of fire. Initially peeking man
who lived around 500,000 B.C.E, was believed to be the earliest user of fire,
but evidence uncovered in Kenya in 1981, and in South Africa 1988, suggests
that the earliest controlled use of fire by hominids
dates from about 1,420,000 years ago. Fires were kept alive permanently because
of the difficulty of reigniting them, being allowed to burn by day & damped
at night, flint struck against pyrites or
friction method were the most widespread methods of producing fire among primitive
people.
The first human
being to control fire used it to keep warm, cook their food, and ward off
predators. It also enabled them to survive in region previously too cold for
human habitation. They also used it in “fire drivers” to force animals or
enemies out of hiding. Controlled fire was important in clearing forest for
roadways, grasslands for grazing, and agriculture lands – uncontrolled, the
fire destroyed the potential of the soil. Mastering fire also opened up the possibilities
of smelting metals, enabling humankind to escape the limitations of the Stone
Age.
African
Proverb -
(“Seek wood already touched by fire. It is not then so very hard
to set alight.”)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hominids – A member of a
family of primates which include humans & their fossil ancestors.
Pyrites – Shiny yellow mineral
that is a compound of iron & sulphur.