Remaking History

Joseph Gay-Lussac and the Technology of Fireproofing

Written by William Gurstelle Illustrated by Peter Strain

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BEFORE HOMES WERE ELECTRIFIED, PEOPLE LIVED IN CONSTANT DANGER OF CLOTHING AND SURROUNDINGS CATCHING ON FIRE from the oil lamps (see this column in Make: Volume 22) and cooking fires used in daily life. As the study of chemistry became more rigorous, scientists began to think about how to protect people from this hazard. The person who first delved systematically into the problem was Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, a 19th-century French polymath.

Gay-Lussac was a giant in the history of chemistry. Born during the turbulence of ...

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