History Main / TheDiscoveryOfFire

* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'': In ''The Cave-Girl of Steel'', Supergirl travels back in time and meets prehistoric humans, whom she teaches to create fire and to use it to ward off an attacking sea serpent.

The "discovery" of fire, or in reality the "discovery of how to use fire", is most likely the single most important discovery in human history. Without it, our warm-weather species would never have been able to survive in cold environments, easily digest meats, or ward off dangerous animals the way we do.

* ''WebOriginal/HamstersParadise'': A highly intelligent yet extremely aggressive animal known as the riplet discovers that other animals fear fire after witnessing them flee from brushfires causes by lightning strikes, some packs learn to sustain the flames and use them in hunting by spreading it and picking off the animals that try to flee from the blaze. Several million years later, their sapient AlwaysChaoticEvil descendants, the harmsters, have managed to use fire to jumpstart their civilization and spread to places where they couldn't before, with some cultures still extensively relying on arson hunting for food and practically [[CargoCult worshipping fire itself]].

* In the speculative evolution project ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'', the gravediggers, a species of badger-like birds, learned how to create fire at the beginning of the Ocean Age, but the act of discovery only becomes a plot as Brighteye, a sapient blue jay-like bird, seeks to learn their secret in order to help a race of sapient mammoth-like birds hold back the grazers and plants that are taking over their ecosystem.

Naturally, fiction depicts humans (and other species) overcoming their natural fear of fire and [[EurekaMoment learning to use fire it as an important turning point in their evolution]]. This usually occurs either after lightning strikes vegetation or as someone rubs flint and wood together.

-->-- '''Newscaster''', ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''

->'''Newscaster:''' We'll be saying a big hello to all intelligent lifeforms everywhere and to everyone else out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together, guys.
-->--''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''

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* In a ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' comic book story, the father of the Rich family's prehistoric ancestors discovers fire, but doesn't know what to do with it, and it ends up going out a few times. Later on when they show up at a costume party with other prehistoric people, wearing what they thought would be the fashions of the future -- and being laughed at when they wear clothes that are nearly identical to that of their modern-day counterparts -- the prehistoric Richie wishes he could sic the flame they discovered on them.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
* The egotistical MadScientist villain of Creator/RankinBassProductions ''Willy [=McBean=] and his Magic Machine'' (1965) plans to go back in time and show cavemen how to make fire, so he'll be the world's first inventor. It's the only one of his schemes that actually works, though only after he does a HeelFaceTurn and has the KidHero [[HardToLightFire do the actual lighting.]]

[[folder:Films -- Live Action]]

* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', the discovery of the First Flame (and as a consequence, fire itself) empowered Gwyn to overthrow the dragons and usher in the Age of Fire. It's also implied that without the First Flame, fire itself cannot exist, and keeping the flame lit is what causes most of the drama of the series.

* ''WebOriginal/HamstersParadise'': A highly intelligent yet extremely aggressive animal known as the riplet discovers that other animals fear fire after witnessing them flee from brushfires causes by lightning strikes, some packs learn to sustain the flames and use them in hunting by spreading it and picking off the animals that try to flee from the blaze. Several million years later, their sapient AlwaysChaoticEvil descendants, the harmsters, have managed to use fire to jumpstart their civilization and spread to places where they couldn't before, with some cultures still extensively relying on arson hunting for food and practically [[CargoCult worshipping fire itself]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/HerculesTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Hercules and the Prometheus Affair", it is revealed that the reason why the school Hercules goes to is called Prometheus Academy (and why they served liver and onions every Thursday) is because Prometheus introducing fire to humanity is what inspired humanity to advanced their society with language and science, as well as providing comforts like cooked food and warm water.

* The MadScientist villain of Creator/RankinBassProductions ''Willy [=McBean=] and his Magic Machine'' (1965) plans to go back in time and change history, including showing cavemen how to make fire, so he'll be the world's first inventor. It's the only one of his schemes that actually works, though only after he does a HeelFaceTurn and has the KidHero [[HardToLightFire do the actual lighting.]]

* The MadScientist villain of Creator/RankinBassProductions ''Willy [=McBean=] and his Magic Machine'' (1965) plans to go back in time and change history, including showing cavemen how to make fire. It's the only one of his schemes that actually works, though only after he does a HeelFaceTurn.

* In the speculative evolution project ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'', the gravediggers, a species of badger-like birds, learned how to create fire at the beginning of the Ocean Age, but the act of discovery only becomes a plot as Brighteye, a sapient blue jay-like bird, seeks to learn their secret in order to help a race of sapient mammoth-like birds hold back grazers and plants that are taking over their ecosystem.