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34-421: A dark lantern is a candle lantern with a sliding shutter so that it may conveniently be made dark without extinguishing the candle (archaically, dark lanthorn ). The term may also mean: Candle lantern The lantern enclosure was primarily used to prevent a burning candle or wick being extinguished from wind, rain or other causes. Some antique lanterns have only a metal grid, indicating their function

68-433: A battery -powered fluorescent lamp and LED models, which are safer in the hands of young people and inside tents. Liquid fuel lanterns remain popular where the fuel is easily obtained and in common use. Many portable mantle-type fuel lanterns now use fuel gases that become liquid when compressed, such as propane , either alone or combined with butane . Such lamps usually use a small disposable steel container to provide

102-483: A motif . " 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. Horn (anatomy) A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone . Horns are distinct from antlers , which are not permanent. In mammals, true horns are found mainly among

136-514: A lantern with a jutting base – such as the 15th-century example above – to the face of a person with the extended chin of mandibular prognathism ; this condition was also known as Habsburg jaw or Habsburg lip, as it was a hereditary feature of the House of Habsburg (see, for example, portraits of Charles V ). Raise the Red Lantern , a 1991 Chinese film, prominently features lanterns as

170-427: A lantern. Lanterns were usually made from a metal frame with several sides (usually four, but up to eight) or round, commonly with a hook or a hoop of metal on top. 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. Paper lanterns are made in societies around

204-512: A modest solar-powered charger. The derived term "lantern jaw[ed]" is used in two quite different still current ways, comparing faces with different types of lantern. According to the Oxford English Dictionary , it refers to "long thin jaws, giving a hollow appearance to the cheek"; this use was recorded in 1361, referring to a lantern with concave horn sides before glass was in use. Another meaning of "lantern jaw" compares

238-558: A pressurized liquid such as "white gas", which is essentially naphtha . 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. Manually pressurized lanterns using white gas (also marketed as Coleman fuel or "Camp Fuel") are manufactured by the Coleman Company in one and two-mantle models. Some models are dual fuel and can also use gasoline . These are being supplanted by

272-524: A safer and cheaper alternative to kerosene lamps . Lanterns utilizing LEDs are popular as they are more energy-efficient and rugged than other types, and prices of LEDs suitable for lighting have dropped. Some rechargeable fluorescent lanterns may be plugged in at all times and may be set up to illuminate upon a power failure, a useful feature in some applications. During extensive power failures (or for remote use), supplemental recharging may be provided from an automobile's 12-volt electrical system or from

306-533: A space could be conveniently made dark without extinguishing the candle. For example, in the Sherlock Holmes story " The Red-Headed League ", the detective and police make their way down to a bank vault by lantern light but then put a 'screen over that dark lantern' in order to wait in the dark for thieves to finish tunneling. This type of lantern could also preserve the light source for sudden use when needed. Lanterns may be used in religious observances. In

340-468: A variety of colors and sizes. The housing for the top lamp and lens section of a lighthouse may be called a lantern. The word lantern comes via French from Latin lanterna meaning "lamp, torch," possibly itself derived from Greek. An alternate historical spelling was " lanthorn ", possibly derived from the ancient use of animal horn to cover window apertures, but allow in light. A lanthorn might have been significantly larger and brighter than

374-484: A wick in oil, while others were essentially protected candle-holders. Before the development of glass sheets, animal horn scraped thin and flattened was used as the translucent window. Beginning in the Middle Ages , middle eastern towns hired watchmen to patrol the streets at night, as a crime deterrent. Each watchman carried a lantern or oil lamp against the darkness. The practice continued up through at least

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408-745: The Eastern Orthodox Church , lanterns are used in religious processions and liturgical entrances , usually coming before the processional cross . Lanterns are also used to transport the Holy Fire from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Great Saturday during Holy Week . Lanterns are used in many Asian festivals. During the Ghost Festival , lotus shaped lanterns are set afloat in rivers and seas to symbolically guide

442-589: The Hebridean , Icelandic , Jacob , Manx Loaghtan , and the Navajo-Churro . Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. In many species, only males have horns. Horns start to grow soon after birth and continue to grow throughout the life of the animal (except in pronghorns, which shed the outer layer annually, but retain the bony core). Partial or deformed horns in livestock are called scurs . Similar growths on other parts of

476-511: The Moschidae (Musk deer, which are ruminants), Suidae ( Wild Boars ), Proboscidea ( Elephants ), Monodontidae ( Narwhals ) and Odobenidae ( Walruses ). Polled animals or pollards are those of normally-horned (mainly domesticated ) species whose horns have been removed, or which have not grown. In some cases such animals have small horny growths in the skin where their horns would be – these are known as scurs . Cutaneous horns are

510-740: 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. The Battles of Lexington and Concord occurred the day after on April 19, starting the American Revolution . Public spaces became increasingly lit with lanterns in the 1500s, especially following the invention of lanterns with glass windows, which greatly improved

544-429: The ruminant artiodactyls , in the families Antilocapridae ( pronghorn ) and Bovidae ( cattle , goats , antelope etc.). Cattle horns arise from subcutaneous connective tissue (under the scalp) and later fuse to the underlying frontal bone. One pair of horns is usual; however, two or more pairs occur in a few wild species and in some domesticated breeds of sheep. Polycerate (multi-horned) sheep breeds include

578-509: The 18th century. 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. There was violence every time he was arrested and Allsopp would denounce the military. In October he prosecuted the soldiers involved in his arrests. On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere had two lanterns held up in

612-416: The body are not usually called horns, but spurs , claws , or hooves , depending on the part of the body on which they occur. The term "horn" is also popularly applied to other hard and pointed features attached to the head of animals in various other families: Many mammal species in various families have tusks , which often serve the same functions as horns, but are in fact oversized teeth. These include

646-409: The danger of handling flammable and toxic fuel, danger of fire or burns from the high temperatures involved, and potential dangers from carbon monoxide poisoning if used in an enclosed environment. Simple wick lanterns remain available. They are cheap and durable and usually can provide enough light for reading. They require periodic trimming of the wick and regular cleaning of soot from the inside of

680-530: The elderly. Some people, notably The Enigma , have horn implants; that is, they have implanted silicone beneath the skin as a form of body modification . Animals have a variety of uses for horns and antlers, including defending themselves from predators and fighting members of their own species ( horn fighting ) for territory, dominance or mating priority. Horns are usually present only in males but in some species, females too may possess horns. It has been theorized by researchers that taller species living in

714-792: The fuel. The ability to refuel without liquid fuel handling increases safety. Additional fuel supplies for such lamps have an indefinite shelf life if the containers are protected from moisture (which can cause corrosion of the container) and excess heat. Lanterns designed as permanently mounted electric lighting fixtures are used in interior, landscape , and civic lighting applications. Styles can evoke former eras, unify street furniture themes, or enhance aesthetic considerations. They are manufactured for use with various wired voltage supplies. Various battery types are used in portable light sources. They are more convenient, safer, and produce less heat than combustion lights. Solar-powered lanterns have become popular in developing countries, where they provide

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748-412: The glass chimney. Mantle lanterns use a woven ceramic impregnated gas mantle to accept and re-radiate heat as visible light from a flame. The mantle does not burn (but the cloth matrix carrying the ceramic must be "burned out" with a match prior to its first use). When heated by the operating flame the mantle becomes incandescent and glows brightly. The heat may be provided by a gas, by kerosene, or by

782-557: The lost souls of forgotten ancestors to the afterlife. During the Lantern Festival , the displaying of many lanterns is still a common sight on the 15th day of the first lunar month throughout China. During other Chinese festivities, kongming lanterns (sky lanterns) can be seen floating high into the air. However, some jurisdictions, such as in Canada, some states in the U.S., and parts of India, as well as some organizations, ban

816-425: The male blue wildebeest reams the bark and branches of trees to impress the female and lure her into his territory . Some animals such as goats with true horns use them for cooling with the blood vessels in the bony core allowing them to function as a radiator . After the death of a horned animal, the keratin may be consumed by the larvae of the horn moth . In some instances, wildlife parks may decide to remove

850-456: The middle of the street at a height of 20 feet (6.1 m); as an English visitor described in 1698, 'The streets are lit all winter and even during the full moon!' In London, a diarist wrote in 1712 that ‘All the way, quite through Hyde Park to the Queen's Palace at Kensington, lanterns were placed for illuminating the roads on dark nights.’ All fueled lanterns are somewhat hazardous owing to

884-597: The only examples of horns growing on people. Cases of people growing horns have been historically described, sometimes with mythical status. Researchers have not however discovered photographic evidence of the phenomenon. There are human cadaveric specimens that show outgrowings, but these are instead classified as osteomas or other excrescences . The phenomenon of humans with horns has been observed in countries lacking advanced medicine. There are living people, several in China, with cases of cutaneous horns, most common in

918-438: The open are more visible from longer distances and more likely to benefit from horns to defend themselves against predators. Female bovids that are not hidden from predators due to their large size or open savannahlike habitat are more likely to bear horns than small or camouflaged species. In addition, horns may be used to root in the soil or strip bark from trees. In animal courtship , many use horns in displays. For example,

952-404: The operational status of the track ahead, sometimes with color gels in front of the light to signify stop, etc. Historically, a flagman at a level crossing used a lantern to stop cars and other vehicular traffic before a train arrived. Lanterns also provided a means to signal from train-to-train or from station-to-train. A "dark lantern" was a candle lantern with a sliding shutter so that

986-534: The quantity of light. In 1588 the Parisian Parlement decreed that a torch be installed and lit at each intersection, and in 1594 the police changed this to lanterns. Beginning in 1667 during the reign of King Louis XIV , thousands of street lights were installed in Parisian streets and intersections. Under this system, streets were lit with lanterns suspended 20 yards (18 m) apart on a cord over

1020-457: The use of fire torches was more prevalent. Modern varieties often place an electric light in a decorative glass case. In 1417, the Mayor of London ordered that all homes must hang lanterns outdoors after nightfall during the winter months. This marked the first organized public street lighting. Lanterns have been used functionally, for light rather than decoration, since antiquity. Some used

1054-468: The use of sky lanterns because of concerns about fire and safety. The term "lantern" can be used more generically to mean a light source, or the enclosure for a light source, even if it is not portable. Decorative lanterns exist in a wide range of designs. Some hang from buildings, such as street lights enclosed in glass panes. Others are placed on or just above the ground; low-light varieties can function as decoration or landscape lighting and can be

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1088-411: The world. A lantern generally contains a burning light source: a candle , liquid oil with a wick, or gas with a mantle . The ancient Chinese sometimes captured fireflies in transparent or semi-transparent containers and used them as (short-term) lanterns, and use of fireflies in transparent containers was also a widespread practice in ancient India; however, since these were short-term solutions,

1122-465: Was to protect the candle or wick during transportation and avoid the excess heat from the top to avoid unexpected fires. Another important function was to reduce the risk of fire should a spark leap from the flame or the light be dropped. This was especially important below deck on ships: a fire on a wooden ship was a major catastrophe. Use of unguarded lights was taken so seriously that obligatory use of lanterns, rather than unprotected flames, below decks

1156-449: Was written into one of the few known remaining examples of a pirate code , on pain of severe punishment. Lanterns may also be used for signaling. In naval operations, ships used lights to communicate at least as far back as the Middle Ages ; the use of a lantern that blinks code to transmit a message dates to the mid-1800s. In railroad operations, lanterns have multiple uses. Permanent lanterns on poles are used to signal trains about

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