How Light Bulbs Came About

People today have plenty of lighting options. But did you know how and who invented light bulbs?

The Incandescent Bulbs

Long before Thomas Edison patented and began commercializing his incandescent light bulb, there were already inventors from various places who demonstrated that electric light was possible with the arc lamp. It was actually in 1835 that the first constant electric light was demonstrated. 

Thomas Edison’s serious research on incandescent light began in 1878, filing his first patent in October of same year. There were actually 3 factors that contributed to Edison’s success – a durable incandescent material, elimination of air from the bulb-a better vacuum, and a high resistant filament material.

In October 1879, Edison’s team produced a light bulb with a carbonized filament of uncoated cotton thread that could actually last for 14.5 hours. The experiment continued until they come up with a lamp that can last up to 1,200 hours. 

Fluorescent Breakthroughs

In the early 1900s, it was Peter Cooper Hewitt’s breakthrough that became one of the precursors to the fluorescent lamp. He created a blue-green light by passing an electric current via mercury vapor and incorporating ballast. 

By the late 1920s and early 1930s, European researchers worked with neon tubes coated with phosphor. American lighting companies were also demonstrating fluorescent lights to the US Navy. These lights lasted longer. Also, they were 3 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs.

Today, LED lights are gaining popularity because it is proven to be more efficient than fluorescent lights.

Trivia Info Resource: magins.com.au