The natural gas furnace has a long history of use. The first patent on the gas furnace was in 1919, and by the 1940s, gas furnaces started to become popular as central heating options, replacing coal-burning furnaces because of their power, improved safety, and convenience—no more need to take delivery of coal and shovel it into the furnace, the natural gas comes right to the home.
Furnace technology has continued to improve over decades since, and this is where we come to the question in the title: Are pilot lights still a thing? We’ll look into this question more below.