timeline of the lightbulb
The first 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.
In 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan was determined to make a 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.
In 1877, the American Charles Francis Brush had made some some carbon arcs to light a public square in Cleveland, Ohio. They were used on a few streets, in a few large office buildings, and even some stores. Electric lights were only used by a few people because of how expensive they were.
The inventor Thomas Alva Edison experimented with thousands of different filaments to find find the right one 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 made a bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours.
Lewis Howard Latimer improved the bulb by inventing a carbon filament (patented in 1881); Latimer was a member of Edison's research 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 wouldn't darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William David Coolidge invented a filament which lasted even longer than the older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.
In 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan was determined to make a 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.
In 1877, the American Charles Francis Brush had made some some carbon arcs to light a public square in Cleveland, Ohio. They were used on a few streets, in a few large office buildings, and even some stores. Electric lights were only used by a few people because of how expensive they were.
The inventor Thomas Alva Edison experimented with thousands of different filaments to find find the right one 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 made a bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours.
Lewis Howard Latimer improved the bulb by inventing a carbon filament (patented in 1881); Latimer was a member of Edison's research 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 wouldn't darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William David Coolidge invented a filament which lasted even longer than the older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.