Fire has been an integral part of human civilization from the very beginning of our history. On the one hand, it gives us warmth and light. On the other hand, fires can rage uncontrollably and destroy everything in its path.
But with all its destructive power, fire can surprise us with its many wonders and mysteries. Here are the top 10 amazing facts about fire and fires that will fuel the flames of your mind.
10. Flamethrowers were invented in antiquity
During the reign of the Byzantine emperor Constantine IV (c. 668–685 AD), the inventor Kallinik from the Syrian city of Heliopolis developed what eventually became known as the “Greek fire”.
It was originally used in naval combat to burn enemy ships from a distance of 25-30 meters. In this case, the mixture continued to burn even on the surface of the water.
The weapon was a copper pipe through which a flammable mixture erupted. To push it, bellows (as in a forge) or compressed air were used.
Then they began to use it on land in the form of portable hand-held devices that could be used both in the siege of the fortress and for its protection.
But the "Greek fire" is not the only example of the use of flammable mixtures in the conduct of hostilities.
Already in the 1st century BC. e. flame mixtures were used in the Chinese army. Greek warriors at the battle of Delia in 424 BC e. an incendiary mixture consisting of oil, crude oil and sulfur was released from a hollow log. Perhaps other substances were included. The prototype of the "Greek fire" was also used in 190 BC. e., during the defense of the island of Rhodes.
As you can see, modern flamethrowers had many "relatives", albeit less convenient in terms of use.
9. Forest fires create weather
Uncontrolled forest fires can span thousands or even millions of hectares. So, by the end of July 2019, the total area of forest fires in Siberia was 1.13 million hectares in Yakutia and 1.56 million hectares in other regions.
When fires reach such enormous sizes, they begin to affect the atmosphere around them.
When the air heated by the fire rises high enough, it cools. Drops of water condense inside it, creating clouds and possibly even thunderstorms. The cloud created by the forest fire is called the pyrocumulus cloud, and the “fire storm cloud” thus formed is called the pyrocumulus cloud.
Storms caused by fires can benefit fire fighting, but they can also impede the same attempts, causing strong winds that inflate fires even more. Sometimes these strong winds can even serve as the basis for a tornado, which happened in 1978 during a fire in California.
8. The deadliest fire went relatively unnoticed
The great Chicago fire, which raged from October 8 to 10, 1871, attracted increased media attention in the United States and other countries, and stimulated significant economic growth in Chicago during the recovery. The whole country helped the city with food, money and basic necessities.
Oddly enough, the Great Chicago Fire was small compared to his older brother. On the same day, October 8, a steppe fire broke out in Wisconsin's drought-affected farmland, reaching nearly 1.2 million acres. It became known as the Pestigo fire, in honor of the city, which was completely destroyed by fire. As a result of the Pestigo fire, according to various estimates, from 1,200 to 1,500 people died, which is at least four times more than the death toll from the fire in Chicago.
7. Fire as an art
How would you feel about using fire instead of paint when creating a painting? But the Canadian artist Stephen Spazuk succeeded. Okay, we were a little deceiving, he doesn’t use the flame itself, but soot from it to apply soot to a white canvas.
“The flame always reacts to the displacement of air, so I can’t control it. However, I can direct the flames of my lighter to create more or less the shape that I want to create. Sometimes I just let the flame do the work and create these magical forms, ”says Stephen.
Agree, these pictures look spectacular.
6. Fire - the center of Zoroastrian worship
In the world there are about 100,000-200,000 people professing Zoroastrianism (one of the oldest religions in the world). For them, fire (as well as the light of the sun) as a source of light is sacred, because light is a visible image of the presence of a deity in our world.
In Zoroastrianism, five types of fire are present throughout creation. They can be found in inanimate matter, living bodies, plants, clouds and flames, and are the remnants of the original fire, which, according to the Zoroastrians, created the universe.
During prayer, Zoroastrians worship a light source. It can be the sun, a bonfire, an oil lamp, or even one of the eternal lights stored in places of worship (which are called temples of fire).
5. Flame color is not always orange
The most common controlled fires, such as bonfires, burn at a temperature of 590–1200 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, a certain amount of carbon from combustible fuel does not burn. Carbon particles are mixed with fire and illuminated by its light, which gives the fire a yellow or orange glow.
But everything changes when the temperature of the fire increases. At 1260–1650 degrees Celsius, the flame absorbs all carbon. Without the "surviving" carbon particles that could change color, the fire burns with a bright blue light.
However, carbon is not the only type of chemical or compound that can cause a fire. If a fuel source with a small amount of copper is burned, its particles fall into the fire and give it green light in the same way as carbon particles - orange.
Lithium chloride creates a pink flame, strontium chloride red, and potassium chloride violet.
4. How ice can cause fire
Fire and ice are usually considered opposites - and for good reason. In terms of temperature, little can exist as far apart as fire and ice, but enterprising people have devised ways to use one to create the other.
The method requires the use of a knife to cut a relatively round piece of ice. Then this circle is additionally polished using the heat of human hands. In the end, an icy semblance of a magnifying glass is obtained. It can be used to focus sunlight into a narrow beam that heats a dry tinder and leads to the appearance of fire. However, all these manipulations will take a lot of time and effort.
3. The eucalyptus tree is "friendly" with fire
Every year, an average of 67,000 forest fires rage in the world, and they destroy approximately seven million acres of land. Entire ecosystems can be destroyed on fire, including dense forests.
However, there is one tree that actively helps the fire. And his name is a eucalyptus tree, growing mainly in New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania.
Its fallen leaves form an ideal flammable blanket, and the bark exfoliates in long stripes that reach the ground. This allows the fire to rise to the branches.
Eucalyptus tree oil, known for its fragrant smell, is also highly flammable, which is why eucalyptus is called "gasoline trees." And eucalyptus seeds grow quickly in ash-rich soil after a fire.
2. Fire in space with microgravity burns in the form of a sphere
On Earth with constant gravity, the flame of a candle turns into a teardrop shape. Lighter and hotter air rises and draws colder air behind it, which causes the flame to form its signature form.
However, under microgravity conditions at the International Space Station, air heated by a candle flame does not rise, but remains stationary. Instead of forming a teardrop shape, the flame turns into a sphere and burns in bright blue.
The unique properties of microgravity also allow fires to burn at much lower temperatures and much longer than on Earth.
1. Fire is used as a medicine
Here is another interesting fact about fire: it has been successfully used in modern Chinese medicine.
A procedure called "fire therapy" is used to treat many chronic diseases. It is based on Chinese philosophy, which states that good health is the result of a balance between the “hot” and “cold” elements present in the human body.
Fire therapy involves using herbal paste, alcohol-soaked towels, and a lighter to light a controlled fire at key points in the human body.
At the moment, there is no empirical evidence that "fire therapy" is really good for health. Unless there is more than enough adrenaline after it.
