The first form of the matchstick was invented in 577 by the noblewomen of the Northern Qi dynasty—a kingdom with a rather short lifespan (550 – 577 AD)—while their capital was under siege. In this desperate situation, these unfortunate noblewomen surely lacked even tinder to start a fire. They discovered a method to ignite fires for cooking and warmth.
The early matchsticks made of sulfur are described in the book “Records of the Supernatural and Strange” by Dao Gu (written around 950):
“If anything urgent happens at night, it takes a while to light the lamp. A clever person figured out how to soak pine sticks in sulfur and store them for immediate use when needed 
. A gentle friction would produce a small flame the size of a grain of rice. This miraculous object was once called ‘the servant that brings light‘ (dẫn quang nô), but later it became a common item and was referred to as ‘one-inch fire stick‘ (hỏa thốn).”
No traces of matches were found in Europe before 1530. However, it is possible that matches were easily brought to Europe by a traveler to China during the time of Marco Polo, as it is known that matches were sold in the Hangzhou market around 1270.
