-
Humphry Davy Invents the Electric Arc Lamp
In 1802, Humphry Davy invented the first electric light. He experimented with electricity and eventually created a battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon began to glow and make light. His invention was called the Electric Arc lamp. However, it didn’t continue producing light for very long and the light created was far too bright for household use. -
Warren de la Rue Creates Vacuum Tube
British scientist Warren de la Rue enclosed a coiled platinum filament in a vacuum tube and passed an electric current through it. The invention was based on the idea that the high melting point of platinum would let it to work at high temperatures and that the evacuated chamber would contain less gas molecules to react with the platinum, giving it a longer life. Despite being an efficient design, the cost of the platinum made it too expensive for commercial production. -
Joseph Swan creates light carbonised paper filament light bulb
In 1850 an English physicist named Joseph Wilson Swan created a “light bulb” by enclosing carbonized paper filaments in an evacuated glass bulb. -
Prototype Lightbulb is Created
In 1860, Swan created a working prototype of a lightbulb. However, it was far too short lived and was therefore impractical for commercial use and was considered not to be effective. -
Canadian Patent For Electric Light is Filed
On July 24, 1874 a Toronto medical electrician named Henry Woodward and a colleague Mathew Evans filed a patent. They built their lamps with glass cylinders filled with nitrogen with different sizes and shapes of carbon rods held between electrodes Inside. Woodward and Evans attempted to to their lamp commercially, but were didn’t succeed. They eventually sold their patent to Edison in 1879. -
Joseph Swan Uses New Technology to Improve his Light Bulb
Following his previous unsuccessful prototype, Swan used better vacuum pumps becoming available in the 1870s and continued experiments on light bulbs. In 1878, Swan developed a light bulb with greater longevity using a treated cotton thread that would remove the problem of early bulb blackening. -
Thomas Edison Invents the ‘First’ Light Bulb
In 1878, Thomas Edison filed his first patent application after beginning research into making a practical incandescent light earlier that year, although he continued improving this design afterwards by developing new filaments that included a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires and later invented a carbonized bamboo filament could last over 1200 hours. -
Light Bulbs Are Commercialised
In 1880, Thomas Edison’s ‘Edison Electric Light Company’ began to sell his new product commercially. -
General Electric Patents A Tungsten Filament
The General Electric Company were the first to patent a method of making tungsten filaments for use in incandescent lightbulbs. Edison himself had known tungsten would eventually prove to be the best choice for filaments in incandescent light bulbs, but in his day, the machinery needed to produce the wire in such a fine form was not available. -
William Coolidge Improves Manufacturing Process
The General Electric Company were the first to patent a method of making tungsten filaments for use in incandescent lightbulbs. Edison himself had known tungsten would eventually prove to be the best choice for filaments in incandescent light bulbs, but in his day, the machinery needed to produce the wire in such a fine form was not available. -
Frosted Light Bulbs, Car Headlamps and Neon Lighting is Invented
In the 1920s, the first frosted lightbulb was produced and adjustable power beam bulbs for car headlamps, and neon lighting, which was invented by Georges Claude. -
Flash photography and the Fluorescent Tanning Lamp is Invented
The thirties saw the invention of little one-time flashbulbs for photography, and the fluorescent tanning lamp. -
Soft Light Incandescent Bulbs
The first ’soft light’ incandescent bulbs are invented. -
Halogen Light Bulbs Are Produced
The halogen Light Bulb began to be produced having been developed by Elmer Fridrich and Emmet Wiley at General Electric. -
The LED is Developed
In 1962, Nick Holonyak Jr. developed the LED light while working at General Electric although this would go on to be developed by others such as Susi Nakamura. -
Spiral Compact Fluorescent Light Is Invented
In 1976, Edward E. Hammer developed the spiral Compact Fluorescent Light or CFL while working as an engineer at General Electric in response to the 1973 oil crisis.
