The History of the Light Bulb
The light bulb, now an everyday convenience, was cutting edge science during the late 19th century. Thomas Alva Edison, an Ohio native, is credited with inventing the light bulb, though it is more accurate to say that Edison “invented” the first commercially available light bulb.
So how did the light bulb go from cutting edge technology to a ubiquitous part of our culture?
Our story starts in the early 17th century (two centuries prior to Edison), when Humphry Davy of the Royal Institute in Great Britain demonstrated the first incandescent light using a bank of batteries and charcoal rods. Davy’s discovery led to the production of many of the first electric streetlights.
Next, we jump to 1835, where the first “constant” electric light is invented. It was fairly primitive compared to today’s light bulbs, and it took roughly 40 years of collective tinkering to develop the incandescent lamp. Its invention is credited to Thomas Edison in 1879.
There was some controversy about who first came up with the idea for an electric incandescent lamp shortly after Edison’s breakthrough. One inventor in particular, Joseph Swan, actually acquired several patents for different lamp features before Edison’s version gained popularity.
So why is Edison given so much credit for the light bulb, when we know that there were many other scientists and inventors working to perfect the technology? Simply put, it is because Edison revolutionized the light bulb by improving the filament and, perhaps more importantly, invented a suite of devices that could use an incandescent lamp. Not only did he help improve the technology, but he also made it accessible to the public.
However, the light bulbs that are now used in homes around the country were invented relatively recently. One event that propelled light bulb technology forward was the 1973 oil crisis, when there was a severe energy shortage. During this time, the first compact fluorescent lights, commonly known as CFLs today, were created.
The latest and most impactful advancement in lighting technology is the light-emitting diode, or LED. They are the most efficient lights on the market and have become common in many technologies today, like traffic lights, TVs, computer monitors, and flashlights.
Even to this day, companies continue to make improvements to the quality, efficiency, and price of LED lights. In fact, the price has fallen more than 85 percent since 2008.
The future also holds many possibilities for lighting technology, including improved solar technology and more efficient light bulbs and lighting systems.
For more information about the storied history of the light bulb, visit energy.gov.
