It's an obsession that you can see from space.

For almost as long as humans have been around, it seems we have been making light.

And while the technology has changed dramatically over the years, that ancient pastime has not.

Three centuries ago, if you wanted enough light to see by, perhaps to mend your shirt or

scratch out a journal entry, you would move closer to the hearth in the center of your house.

Candles were another option, but they were an expensive consumable, so most folks just use

pieces of plants like ruches, dipped in animal fat, a smelly alternative from what I've heard.

Our fascination with light has caused us to get creative over the years.

The wailing industry served a lot of consumer demands, but one of the biggest was oil for lamps.

And then, as we exited the 1700s, it was becoming more and more common to find lights powered by gas,

both in the home and out on the street. But something a lot of people forget is that for a very

long time, light was rare. Homes were pretty dark at night, and the street lights outside

barely delivered better illumination. Walking at night could be dangerous, depending on the phase of

the moon, and not just because of crime. Once you stepped out of town where you lived,

the only light you could count on was the one you brought with you, which is why, for a very long

time, travelers around the world have told stories about surprising sources of illumination,

little sparks of hope, in a place where they weren't expected.

And while a few of those stories have a delightful, almost comical element to them,

many, despite being about light, take us deeper into the shadows. Because no matter how dark the

night might be, the last thing you'd want to encounter are ghost lights. I'm Aaron Mankey,

and this is lore.

They are a truly global phenomenon. Pick a culture in any part of the world,

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