Match and optical telegraph: what they have in common

  1. Step 1. Match — uses — Combustion. Combustion.
  2. Step 2. Combustion — is used in — Gas lamp. The flame gives the light.
  3. Step 3. Gas lamp — uses — Coal gas. Coal gas.
  4. Step 4. Coal gas — is used in — Traffic light. A gas lamp lit the signal.
  5. Step 5. Traffic light — evolved from — Railway semaphore. The first traffic light was a railway-style semaphore.
  6. Step 6. Railway semaphore — evolved from — Optical telegraph. The semaphore idea.

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