A dangerous explosive gas, primarily methane, that accumulates in coal mines and can cause explosions when mixed with air.
Compound of 'fire' and 'damp' (from Middle Low German 'damp' meaning vapor or steam). The term emerged in the 17th-18th centuries as coal mining expanded in Europe and deadly explosions became a mining hazard.
Firedamp explosions killed thousands of miners throughout the 1800s, and the desperate need for a warning system led to the invention of the Davy lamp in 1815—a lamp with a wire mesh that cooled gases enough to prevent explosions while still letting miners see.
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