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

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 look around. History is everywhere.