A candle as piece of wax or tallow with a wick implanted into its center that when burned gives off light.http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/candleThe most common commercial candle is made of paraffin wax, but there is a growing movement towards making candles from natural substances such as beeswax, soy, or carnauba (palm wax). http://www.candlecomfort.com/historyofcandles.html

According to Candle Comfort the Romans were the first to provide a candle with a wick and it was used for lighting homes, places of worship and to help travelers at night. The candles of the Romans were made primarily from tallow which they collected from suet of cattle and sheep.

The use of beeswax was not adopted until the Middle Ages. The change to beeswax brought improvements, such as no smoky flame or rancid odor. Although it was expensive, therefore limiting the user to that of the wealthy.

The next major change to candle making came in the late 18th Century, when the whaling industry took off. Wax was made by crystallizing the sperm whale oil which was called spermaceti. Like beeswax there was no odor when burned and it had the added advantage that it did not soften from the heat of the summer months.

In 1834 an inventor by the name of Joseph Morgan came up with a machine that would continuously produce candles. The machine had cylinders that were filled with wax and as they cooled the movable pistons would eject the candles. Paraffin wax is the most common wax used today for candle making. It was discovered in 1850 and is made from oil and coal shales. Paraffin wax did have its down side when first introduced because it had a low melting point, but this issue was solved by the end of the 19th Century with the addition of stearic acid.

Although candles are no longer used primarily for light they remain popular for many other uses such as a romantic dinner and on cakes to name a few.http://www.candlecomfort.com/historyofcandles.html

1. Birthday Candles
2. Tapers
3. Pillars
4. Votives
5. Tealights
6. Gel candles
7. Liturgical candles
8. Container candles
9. Outdoor candles
10. Floating candles
11. Utility candles
12. Specialty candles

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