 These new phosphorus matches had to be kept in airtight metal boxes but became popular and went by the name of "loco foco" in the United States, from which was derived the name of a political party.The earliest American patent for the phosphorus friction match was granted in 1836 to Alonzo Dwight Phillips of Springfield, Massachusetts.From 1830 to 1890, the composition of these matches remained largely unchanged, although some improvements were made.