The Beginning

Without fire, man could not have created the world we live in today. Fire is pretty much responsible for everything man made you see around you. I often wonder who was the first man to see fire, and the first to harness its' awesome power. There has to be a first time for everything. To this day, everytime I build a fire outside or in the woodburner, I am amazed. When our ancestors first saw that naturally occurring wildfire, I bet they were totally awestruck. He soon realized that you can cook with fire and not get the runs from eating raw meat. He discovered that (caveman voice) "fire hot" and he could bring it inside his cave to keep warm and for light. He learned to add fuel sources to keep his fire going and going. Late one cold night, he had to take a leak and didn't want to stink up the cave, so he grabed a branch from the fire and it became portable. He could now travel and bring fire to other places. At some point he discovered that certain burning leaves smell great, so he took a leaf, put some other leaves in it, and rolled it up. Mans' first smoke. What else would he discover about fire?

The world is full of fire (27845)

The Stone Age

Around 6000 B.C., people started to live in more organized societies. Stone structures were built with stone ovens. At least they didn't have to worry about the house burning down, unless they kept a bunch of wood inside. Some of the oldest examples of pottery have been traced back to this time. When the village elders were not around, a young man stuck his homemade water pipe in the kiln. Thus, the first homemade bong was made. Shortly after, his parents found it, smashed it and grounded him for a month.

Smelting Forge

The Bronze Age

It appears that there is much controversy about when, where and who first used fire to melt copper with tin, to create bronze. Whomever it was, they didn't see their oldest child teasing the youngest in an all out hissy fit war. The elder stoled the youngers' shoes and threw them into papa's magic metal maker. When dad came back in, he pulled the first pair of bronzed baby shoes out of the smelter and put them on the mantle. It just so happens that about this time, alcohol was first being made. A man simply referred to as 'Molo', was looking for a way to get back at his neighboor for stealing his grains. He took a clay bottle, filled it with his homemade spirits, put some cloth down the top opening, and put fire to it. He proceeded to throw the strange device at his neighbors' shack. There was fire everywhere and the molotov cocktail was born.

Burning Man!

From Here On Out

Fire will go on to help man with his obsession to technology. Fire is responsible for many applications in everyday life. Without fire there would be no; Olympics, Smores, Zippos, Popcorn, Burning Man, Demons, Sun, Fireworks, Torches, Dragons, and the Fantastic Four would only have three. Fire will always be part of our lives. While you must respect the sheer power of fire, it can also be a welcome souce of comfort. I am a avid backpacker and camper. Some of the hikes I have been on, have been really tough. When you hike into the wilderness for miles and have no clue where you really are on planet Earth, a good fire can be your best friend. It can give you light, heat, food, clean water, basically everything you need to survive. I remember when I was a kid, sitting around a campfire that my grandfather had made. He was sitting there drinking a Pabst when my grandmother called out "why don't you guys come in and watch television". He replied to me "this is better than any television", referring to the fire, not the Pabst. You know what, I couldn't agree more with my grandpa!

Television (27846)