Before Electricity, People Spent 10% of Their Income on This

The Hidden History Podcast · May 11, 2026 · 14m

For most of human history, when the sun went down — your day ended.

Unless you were rich.

Before electricity, a working family could spend up to 10% of their entire income on candles.

Light was a luxury. Reading at night was a privilege.

The darkness was real.

In this episode of Hidden History with Aiden Thomas, we follow the candle from beeswax tapers in medieval cathedrals to whale-oil ship lamps that fueled an industry — and the chemistry breakthrough that finally made light cheap enough for everyone.

It wasn't just a flame. It was the invention that bought humanity its evenings.

Take a…