John  WALKER

• Biography
  WALKER, JOHN, inventor of friction matches, was born at Stockton-on-Tees in 1780 or 1781. He was articled to Watson Alcock, the principal surgeon of the town, and served him as assistant-surgeon. He had, however, an insurmountable aversion from surgical operations, and in consequence turned his attention to chemistry.
  
  After studying at Durham and York, he set up a small business as chemist and druggist at 59 High Street, Stockton, about...Read MORE...
  
  
  Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 59 by by Edward Irving Carlyle
• 1781 Birth
  29 May 1781
  Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England
  
• 1827 - Matches are invented (John Walker, England)
  In 1827 the first friction match was invented in England by John Walker. Walker's matches were sticks tipped with a mixture of chemicals that burst into flame when scratched against a rough surface.
  
  Walker found that when the mixture dried, he could ignite the stick by drawing the head through a piece of sandpaper. Other people began making such matches, but they presented many problems. They were hard to ignite, they didn't always light...Read MORE...
  
  
  
  Alton Evening Telegraph
  Alton, Illinois
  March 20, 1972
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  Grave
  St Mary the Virgin The Green Norton, Stockton-on-Tees TS20 1EJ, Durham, England United Kingdom
  Billiongraves.com
• 1859 Death
  1 May 1859
  Stockton, Durham, England
  

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