Lussac's hydro-lighter. 19th century artwork of the hydro-lighter invented by the French chemist and physicist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850). Gay-Lussac carried out work on alcohol-water mixtures, and also on the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen to produce water. Here, the jar contains a volatile fuel that produces a flammable gas in the space above the liquid. The ignition switch has been pressed (upper left) to produce a flame (upper right). A safety valve is seen to the left of the flame. Modern cigarette lighters are based on a similar design. Artwork taken from Grands Hommes et Grands Faits de l'Industrie (Great Men and Great Facts of Industry), France, circa 1880.