Seems like candles have been around forever, right? But when were candles actually invented? Let's break it down from the beginning. Before the candle, humans' main source of indoor light at night was firelight or oil lamps.  But these options had some drawbacks - oil lamps required constant supervision as the wick needed to be moved forward by hand, and were very prone to spillage, making them a fire hazard. Torches couldn't be used indoors for the same reason...