Lantern
Use of unguarded lights was taken so seriously that obligatory use of lanterns, rather than unprotected flames, below decks was written into one of the few known remaining examples of a pirate code, on pain of severe punishment.
In naval operations, ships used lights to communicate at least as far back as the Middle Ages;[2] the use of a lantern that blinks code to transmit a message dates to the mid-1800s.
Permanent lanterns on poles are used to signal trains about the operational status of the track ahead, sometimes with color gels in front of the light to signify stop, etc.
[4] Historically, a flagman at a level crossing used a lantern to stop cars and other vehicular traffic before a train arrived.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, lanterns are used in religious processions and liturgical entrances, usually coming before the processional cross.
During the Ghost Festival, lotus shaped lanterns are set afloat in rivers and seas to symbolically guide the lost souls of forgotten ancestors to the afterlife.
However, some jurisdictions, such as in Canada, some states in the U.S., and parts of India, as well as some organizations, ban the use of sky lanterns because of concerns about fire and safety.
[14] The word lantern comes via French[15] from Latin lanterna meaning "lamp, torch,"[16] possibly itself derived from Greek.
[17] An alternate historical spelling was "lanthorn", possibly derived from the ancient use of animal horn to cover window apertures, but allow in light.
Windows of some translucent material may be fitted in the sides; these are now usually glass or plastic but formerly were thin sheets of animal horn, or tinplate punched with holes or decorative patterns.
A lantern generally contains a burning light source: a candle, liquid oil with a wick,[19] or gas with a mantle.
[22] In March 1764 and twice in October 1764, George Allsopp, a British-born Canadian, was arrested in Quebec for violating an order to carry lanterns during the night.
[23] On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere's midnight ride took place after two lanterns were held up in the Old North Church to signal to patriots in Charlestown that the British troops were crossing the Charles River to disarm the rebel colonial militias.
For protection from the high temperatures produced and to stabilize the airflow, a cylindrical glass shield called the globe or chimney is placed around the mantle.
These are being supplanted by a battery-powered fluorescent lamp and LED models, which are safer in the hands of young people and inside tents.
During extensive power failures (or for remote use), supplemental recharging may be provided from an automobile's 12-volt electrical system or from a modest solar-powered charger.
"The Tell-Tale Heart", a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, features the use of a dark lantern by the protagonist to shine a single ray of light on his victim's eye.
