Ballots have been burned since the 1417 conclave, but the practice of using white smoke—created by adding dry straw to the ballots, or, more recently, chemicals—to signal the election of a pope was first recorded in 1914.
Before that, church bells were rung and cannons fired to signal the election of a pope.TRIVIAL PURSUITS: Before white smoke, how was a pope election signaled?
April 2, 2013 – Before the use of white smoke, how was the election of a pope signaled?