Who Invented The Light Bulb? A Brief History Of The Light Bulb

The electric light, one of the most common items in our lives that affect us greatly, was not “invented” in the conventional sense by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879.

Although he may be called the first commercially viable incandescent light inventor, he was not the first or only individual attempting to create the incandescent light bulb.

There were many other individuals, including Joseph Swan (UK) and Heinrich G. Darcys (Austria), who made electric lights before Edison, but their various experiments largely failed to produce a successful product that could be mass-marketed.

These inventors worked in the same way as Edison, they each had their own theoretical approach to designing an electric light, but Edison’s approach had one key advantage.

However, Edison is generally credited with the invention because his version was able to outpace the predecessors due to a mix of three elements:

• An efficient incandescent substance
• A higher vacuum than previous versions were capable of
• A high resistance that made power distribution from a central location lucrative.

Edison’s key advantage came from his choice of a carbonized bamboo filament, which he was able to fashion in such a way that it lasted relatively long and burned brightly.

In addition, Edison worked with a greater vacuum than others had been able to achieve, causing the light to burn clearly rather than suffocating itself by smoking up its own container.

Early Light Bulbs

The invention of the light bulb was a series of incremental steps, each improving slightly on earlier designs.

It started with Humphry Davy in 1802 when he used a platinum strip to remove residual oxygen from an evacuated glass tube and produced an incandescent glow.

Later, in 1860, James Bowman Lindsay demonstrated a constant electric light by using a vacuum that was created by an oil engine.

At this stage, however, the light produced was prohibitively expensive because of the expense of pumping out air.

Because of the high cost of pumps needed to create a vacuum, electric scientists searched for a material that could produce its own vacuum without so much expenditure.

The electric arc lamp was invented by William Duddell and used for street lighting but produced too much heat to be used safely in a house.

In 1875 the carbonized bamboo filament was invented by Joseph Swan.

This invention was short lived because of its fickle nature and could only work well if kept away from oxygen.

Swan returned to improving electric lamps until 1880 when he had his most successful try with the carbonized paper filament.

Edison and the invention of the first light bulb

Thomas Edison began serious research on creating a practical incandescent light in 1878, and on October 14, 1878, he filed his first patent application for “Improvement In Electric Lights.”

Edison conducted many tests of various materials for metal filaments to improve upon his original design and on November 4, 1879, he filed another U.S. patent application entitled “Electric-Lamp” for an electric light using “a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires.”

His first practical test was on October 21, 1879, and he continued to improve the carbonized filament until 1881, leading to a patent application for a “Process Of Manufacturing Carbons” which was filed on October 15, 1883.

This patent covered the method of carbonizing sheets of cotton fiber (or other materials) treated with nitric acid to increase conductivity and then using this process to create thin, incandescent light bulb filaments.

This invention served as the long-lasting, practical solution for electric lighting in homes, and Edison’s central role in the development of an electric lighting system was newsworthy.

The invention filled a great social need and had a profound effect on lives and businesses around the world.

Although the patent described several methods of producing the carbon filament, it wasn’t until several months after the grant that Edison and his team realized that a carbonized bamboo filament might endure over 1200 hours.

This discovery marked the start of commercially manufactured light bulbs, which were first introduced by Thomas Edison’s firm in 1880.

• See also: The history of how camera invented and how it was developed
• See also: An explanation of when and how electricity was invented

The Future of the Light Bulb?

The light bulb has received worldwide attention and is considered a symbol of the modern era.

While Edison contributed greatly to the invention and widespread use, many others were involved in its development.

There’s still room for improvement and several competing technologies under research today might produce the next breakthrough in lighting:

• Light emitting diodes (LEDs)

LEDs are semiconductor devices that produce light when an electric current is applied. The color of the light depends on the properties of the material used.

The development of LEDs goes back to 1907, but they have only been commercialized in recent years because they consume high power and are prone to failure by overheating.

• Organic LEDs (OLEDs)

OLEDs are similar to LEDs in that they produce light when an electric current passes through a material.

But unlike LED, OLEDs can create more vivid colors with better efficiency and lower costs than an LCD. They are also flexible and transparent, which makes them ideal for billboards or displays.

• Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs)

These cells convert electricity into light using the same methods cells use to generate energy for life. The technology is still in its infancy, but it could be used for future lighting applications.

• Quantum dot LEDs (QDLs)

This new technology can produce vivid colors with very little power consumption – about 1% of what’s needed by modern LEDs.

They are still in the experimental stage and difficult to produce, but they have great potential because of their long lifespan and flexibility.

• MicroLEDs

MicroLEDs use a different process than conventional LEDs that allows them to be extremely bright while using very little power.

It’s projected that by 2020, these tiny lights could be used for future HD TVs and other large-scale applications.

• WhiteLEDs:

The development of white LEDs, a combination of a blue LED with a yellow phosphor coating, has allowed for low cost yet energy-efficient lighting using the same technology as modern indoor lighting fixtures.

So far, Edison’s carbonized bamboo filament has proven the most reliable and longest lasting, but we can expect that future light bulbs will continue to improve and develop.