# Łukasiewicz's kerosene lamp (1853)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1853-lukasiewicz-s-kerosene-lamp
Location: Lviv

Pharmacist Ignacy Łukasiewicz distilled kerosene from crude oil and, with Jan Zeh, built a kerosene lamp. It lit a surgery in a Lviv hospital, one of the first practical uses of the new fuel. Within the broader Partitioned Poland period: Without a state, Poles preserved their nation through uprisings, emigration, Romantic literature, 'organic work' and modern political movements, while facing Russification and Germanisation. At this point in the timeline (1853), the governing authority was Nicholas I (King of Poland (Tsar of Russia)). Crowned King of Poland in Warsaw in 1829; declared deposed by the Sejm in 1831, he crushed the November Uprising and revoked Polish autonomy. Łukasiewicz's kerosene lamp mattered because new technology transformed work, production and everyday life. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Łukasiewicz's kerosene lamp mattered because new technology transformed work, production and everyday life.

Ruler at the time: [Nicholas I](https://poland-history.com/rulers/nicholas-i)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Ignacy Łukasiewicz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignacy_%C5%81ukasiewicz)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Łukasiewicz's kerosene lamp](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=%C5%81ukasiewicz%27s+kerosene+lamp)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland (1795–1918) (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1795%E2%80%931918))