Thoroughly entertaining read. This article does not cover the history of scientific theory around fire, which is quite fascinating too. Scientists in the 17th

Thoroughly entertaining read. This article does not cover the history of scientific theory around fire, which is quite fascinating too. Scientists in the 17th century theorized (incorrectly, of course) that fire was an intrinsic property of "phlogisticated" materials [0], which could be burnt to release the phlogiston contained in them. The theory prevailed for over 100 years, until Lavoisier proved that a gas (oxygen) must be present for combustion by measuring the increased weight of phosphorus upon burning [1]. [0] Phlogiston theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston_theory [1] Oxygen theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier#Oxygen_theory_of_combustion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Lavoisier#Oxygen_theor...