This 200-Year-Old Lighter Ignites Without a Spark

I understand that the act of creating fire at this point in our lives is trivial. 

I have a couple of piezoelectric grill lighters and a flint-based lighter in the a drawer in my kitchen. The 'pilot lights' in my gas stove, hot water heater, and furnace are all piezoelectric. If I need fire, I can have it in about two seconds.

That hasn't always been the case, of course. From prehistoric times when fire meant warmth and digestible food, the act of fire creation was miraculous and to be protected.

So the development of a 'safe' lighter that could create fire at the whims of the lighter's owner was an important step toward taming that fire.

But I certainly wouldn't want to carry around Steve Mould's Döbereiner's lamp (yes, the same Döbreiner as the periodic triads) in my pocket.