Knowing how to make and use fire was man’s first step on the road to civilization. We know that our cave-man ancestors who lived hundreds of thousands of years ago used fire, because we find charcoal and charred bits of bone in their caves. We even find stones still standing that were used as fireplaces.

How did men learn the trick of making a fire? The best we can do is guess. Primitive men probably knew how to use fire before they knew how to kindle it. Lightning may have struck a rotten tree and made it smolder. From this the cave man managed to start a fire, and then he kept it going, possibly for years.

We know that all primitive and ancient peoples had the custom of keeping a perpetual fire going, because at first it was easier to watch over the fire than to start a new one.

When the cave men trampled among loose stones in the dark, they must have noticed sparks when one stone struck another. This may have happened for thousands of years before man became intelligent enough to strike stones together purposely. The “secret of the striking stones” was something that the priests among ancient peoples kept to themselves.

Many primitive peoples living today start fires in much the same way our ancestors did. In Alaska, certain tribes of Indians still strike stones together. In parts of China and India, a piece of broken pottery is struck against a bamboo stick, which has a very hard surface. Eskimos strike a piece of quartz against a piece of iron. And, of course, North American Indians used to rub two sticks together.

There are many reasons why the use of fire marked a big step forward in civilization for our cave-man ancestors. Cooking made his food more tasty. Smoking and preserving food enabled him to keep his supplies longer. The points of tools and weapons could be hardened over a flame. Campfires and torches kept wild animals away. And, of course, fire protected him from the cold, so he could live comfortably in colder regions.