this post was submitted on 01 Jul 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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Dont say Prometheus

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[–] HobbitFoot@thelemmy.club 2 points 47 minutes ago

Well, where do you thing Bob got it from?

[–] Mediocre_Bard@lemmy.world 6 points 5 hours ago

That information is lost to pre-history, but probably either Ug or Urg. Those guys were like the Wright Brothers of cave shit.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 5 hours ago

Prometheus's dog

[–] Birch@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

Either Arthur Brown or H.P. Baxxter

E: or perhaps Keith Flint

[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

Some monkey

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago
[–] Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world 14 points 11 hours ago
[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 7 points 10 hours ago

My ancestors.

Your ancestors too.

We have the same ancestors.

We're all really just family you know...

wait... isn't everyone just technically a cousin fucker? 🤔

[–] joyjoy@lemmy.zip 3 points 9 hours ago
[–] BombOmOm@lemmy.world 37 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

It was discovered in pre-history, and almost certainly independently by many, many individuals. You aren't going to get a name on it.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 23 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

Counterpoint: I heard it was Dave

[–] SGforce@lemmy.ca 9 points 16 hours ago

That prick!

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

It was the Roman ruler, Biggus Dickus.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 3 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

How do you think the first manmade ignition happened?

[–] pmk@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 2 hours ago

My guess would be someone trying to make stone tools by banging rocks together, a spark fell into dry grass, etc. But, you know, just a guess.

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 15 points 16 hours ago

Someone was careless with their cigarette.

[–] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 5 points 16 hours ago (2 children)
[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

Yeah probably while making a tool/smashing something. Knocking two rocks together, create a spark on accident, boom fire.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Whe a rock likes another rock very very much

Like flints to the spark

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

Probably a titan. Who created the universe in Greek myth? 🤔

Fire is a fundamental force of nature. Like gravity. So it either wasn't "invented" or was invented by the universe's creator if one exists. Newton didn't invent gravity. He didn't even discover it. He just found a new way to describe it via numbers instead of words (but also so many words).

[–] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 19 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

We don't know. Hell, we can't even narrow it down to a specific place with certainty. There is strong evidence in human settlements for use of fire anywhere from a few hundred thousand to 1 million years ago. When, exactly, is hard to ascertain; for instance, some sites which are claimed to hold the oldest evidence have been criticized as resembling the aftermath of wildfires.

It is also depends on what you mean by "discovered": Early proto-hominids were almost certainly aware of fire and the concept of burning, so are we counting from when they realized "hey, I can take a burning thing and put it where I want it, and it will spread burning there?" Or are we only counting from when fire began to be used as a tool (e.g., for clearing brush or cooking)? Or when humans discovered how to start fires in the absence of a natural source?

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago (2 children)

That last question is the most interesting to me. I guess it doesn't take much intuition to realize that rubbing things together makes them hot. Rub your arm really fast.

Still, watching experienced woodsmen starting a fire from scratch is an education. Even the best struggle.

[–] Zonetrooper@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

It really is an interesting question, yes! Fires started by frictional heating are pretty uncommon in nature, but early humans could pretty readily see that objects placed near a fire would begin to smolder and burn just from radiant heat.

It really depends on when we were able to take intellectual leap of realizing that all heat is equivalent, and fire is not a prerequisite of making new fire.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Even the best struggle.

I have watched Primitive Technology start fires with a hand drill so many times, he's got it down pat.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Primitive Technology can also select their tools for maximum gain. Apparently it's relatively easy when you've got the right woods and kindling.

When you're somewhere in the wilds your wood might be too hard, too soft or too wet or whatever.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 2 points 14 hours ago

Oh, of course. He's very familiar with his area and the best materials to use, and has lots of practice. But he's also pretty famous for showing his work without cuts, and I am always amazed with his hand drill skills. He's got an ember in like twenty seconds.

[–] Lasherz12@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago

Wouldn't it be Hestia because Prometheus stole it from her?

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 19 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Dont say Prometheus

Ok... it was Προμηθεύς.

[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 6 points 17 hours ago

Thanks for your compliance

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 hours ago (1 children)
[–] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 1 points 7 minutes ago

Thas fyre not fire

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 5 points 13 hours ago

Various individuals no doubt figured it out independently and then others in their tribe learned it from them. At first people probably took burning material from forest fires and brush fires that had been caused by lightning.

[–] vane@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago

The famous villain John Fireman. He was eventually killed by firefighters.

[–] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 14 points 17 hours ago

Not Billy Joel.

[–] jbrains@sh.itjust.works 2 points 12 hours ago

Les Oulhamr fuyaient dans la nuit épouvantable. Fous de souffrance et de fatigue, tout leur semblait vain devant la calamité suprême: le Feu était mort.

[–] Drbreen@sh.itjust.works 5 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)
[–] spittingimage@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Nougat@fedia.io 5 points 14 hours ago (1 children)
[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

“‘Inflammable’ means ‘flammable’? What a country!”

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It was always originally "inflammable", as in "able to be inflamed". It wasn't until cargo warning placards came around (for trains, I'm sure), that the meaning got muddled up with "unable to be brought to flame".

There was an official agreement to create the word "flammable", and use that on warning placards instead.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

It’s an old Simpsons quote, from Dr. Nick, a great side character.

[–] Nougat@fedia.io 2 points 13 hours ago

I knew it was a quote from somewhere, I just didn't care. ;)

[–] AmidFuror@fedia.io 4 points 16 hours ago
[–] tartarin@reddthat.com 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Fire wasn't discovered or invented, it was mastered.

[–] magnetichuman@fedia.io 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)
[–] tartarin@reddthat.com 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

What I meant. English isn't my mother tongue. So, I learnt a new word, thanks.

[–] magnetichuman@fedia.io 1 points 2 hours ago

That wasn't intended as a correction. Mastered is definitely correct. Tamed is a bit more poetic maybe.

[–] FaceDeer@fedia.io 3 points 16 hours ago

Their name was Fire.

Similar situation to some of the other early inventors.

[–] Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 3 points 16 hours ago

Mowgli invented it.
King Louie discovered it.

[–] DebatableRaccoon@lemmy.ca 2 points 16 hours ago

Wang Fire. Just don't ask where he got it from, Hotman.

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