In 1861 the firm of Bryant & May produced their first safety match at a factory at Bow, East London. By the end of its first year the factory was turning out 1,800,000 matches a week. They were so much in demand that in 1871 the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed a ‘match tax’ of a penny a box. The proposal caused an outcry in Parliament and the Press – and thousands of match workers protested at what they saw as a threat to their livelihood. Riots resulted, and so Parliament abolished the levy.
Throughout the world matchmaking techniques became more streamlined until today more than 800 boxes of matches can be made every minute.
Picture Credit : Google
