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To find your answer, we searched using every conceivable combination of keywords, quotation marks, and boolean symbols (+,-). Needless to say, it wasn't easy, but we ended up with some interesting information: According to the Minorities' Job Bank's This Month in African American History, inventor Thomas J. Martin, patented the fire extinguisher on March 26, 1872. Dr. Percy Julian, another prominent African-American, invented the aero-foam extinguisher (for use against gas and oil fires) during World War II. The modern fire extinguisher uses compressed carbon dioxide to smother flames by evacuating the oxygen within the immediate area of the fire. It basically suffocates the fire. We also came across some interesting older
extinguishers, including a hand pump model. For a fascinating history of firefighting technology, read "Fire Fighting" from the Information Please almanac. Finally, a tip: if you ever need to use a fire extinguisher, always remember the acronym PASS:
Pull the pin.
Aim low. Point the nozzle at the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle.
Sweep from side to side across the fire area.
Editor's Note: One reader pointed out that today's modern extinguishers generally use dry chemicals such as compressed nitrogen rather than CO2, to spray out a non-flammable substance.
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