History of Incandescent and Flourescent lamp arc.
arc. Much later, in 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828- 1914) was
The first incandescent electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist.
He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to
his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. This is called an electric
arc. Much later, in 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828- 1914) was
determined to devise a practical, long-lasting electric light. He found that a carbon paper
filament worked well, but burned up quickly. In 1878, he demonstrated his new electric lamps
in Newcastle, England. The inventor Thomas Alva Edison (in the USA) experimented with
thousands of different filaments to find just the right materials to glow well and be long-
lasting. In 1879, Edison discovered that a carbon filament in an oxygen-free bulb glowed but
did not burn up for 40 hours. Edison eventually produced a bulb that could glow for over 1500
hours. Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) improved the light bulb by inventing a carbon
filament (patented in 1881); Latimer was a member of Edison's research 59 team, which was
called "Edison's Pioneers." In 1882, Latimer developed and patented a method of
manufacturing his carbon filaments. In 1903, Willis R. Whitney invented a treatment for the
filament so that it would not darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William
David Coolidge (1873-1975) invented a tungsten filament, which lasted even longer than the
older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.
Edison’s first successful lamp
It is certainly true that Edison did invent the light bulb (or at least "a" light bulb), but he was
not the first. In 1860, an English physicist and electrician, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, produced
his first experimental light bulb using carbonized paper as a filament. Unfortunately, Swan did
not have a strong enough vacuum or sufficiently powerful batteries and his prototype did not
achieve complete incandescence, so he turned his attention to other pursuits. So it is
reasonable to wonder why Edison received all the credit, while Swan was condemned to
obscurity. The more cynical among us may suggest that Edison was thrust into the limelight
because many among us learn their history through films, and the vast majority of early films
were made in America by patriotic Americans. However, none of this should detract from
Edison who, working independently, experimented with thousands of filament materials and
expended tremendous amounts of effort before discovering carbonized thread. It is also
probably fair to say that Edison did produce the first commercially viable light bulb. The
reason why this is of interest to us here is that Edison's experiments with light bulbs led him to
discover the Edison Effect, which ultimately led to the invention of the vacuum tube. Edison's
light bulbs employed a conducting filament mounted in a glass bulb from which the air was
evacuated leaving a vacuum. Passing electricity through the filament caused it to heat up
enough to become incandescent and radiate light, while the vacuum prevented the filament
from oxidizing and burning up.
History of Incandescent and Flourescent lamp
The first incandescent electric light was made in 1800 by Humphry Davy, an English scientist.
He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to
his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. This is called an electric
determined to devise a practical, long-lasting electric light. He found that a carbon paper
filament worked well, but burned up quickly. In 1878, he demonstrated his new electric lamps
in Newcastle, England. The inventor Thomas Alva Edison (in the USA) experimented with
thousands of different filaments to find just the right materials to glow well and be long-
lasting. In 1879, Edison discovered that a carbon filament in an oxygen-free bulb glowed but
did not burn up for 40 hours. Edison eventually produced a bulb that could glow for over 1500
hours. Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) improved the light bulb by inventing a carbon
filament (patented in 1881); Latimer was a member of Edison's research 59 team, which was
called "Edison's Pioneers." In 1882, Latimer developed and patented a method of
manufacturing his carbon filaments. In 1903, Willis R. Whitney invented a treatment for the
filament so that it would not darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William
David Coolidge (1873-1975) invented a tungsten filament, which lasted even longer than the
older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.
Edison’s first successful lamp
It is certainly true that Edison did invent the light bulb (or at least "a" light bulb), but he was
not the first. In 1860, an English physicist and electrician, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, produced
his first experimental light bulb using carbonized paper as a filament. Unfortunately, Swan did
not have a strong enough vacuum or sufficiently powerful batteries and his prototype did not
achieve complete incandescence, so he turned his attention to other pursuits. So it is
reasonable to wonder why Edison received all the credit, while Swan was condemned to
obscurity. The more cynical among us may suggest that Edison was thrust into the limelight
because many among us learn their history through films, and the vast majority of early films
were made in America by patriotic Americans. However, none of this should detract from
Edison who, working independently, experimented with thousands of filament materials and
expended tremendous amounts of effort before discovering carbonized thread. It is also
probably fair to say that Edison did produce the first commercially viable light bulb. The
reason why this is of interest to us here is that Edison's experiments with light bulbs led him to
discover the Edison Effect, which ultimately led to the invention of the vacuum tube. Edison's
light bulbs employed a conducting filament mounted in a glass bulb from which the air was
evacuated leaving a vacuum. Passing electricity through the filament caused it to heat up
enough to become incandescent and radiate light, while the vacuum prevented the filament
from oxidizing and burning up.