The History of Lighting

The history of the light bulb dates back to when scientists figured out how to generate electricity. Thomas Edison is most accredited for creating the filament that produces light in a bulb for a longer period of time. The first bulbs that Thomas Edison created could not last more than twenty hours. Imagine having to change your lighting every day. While bulbs are not expensive items, nowadays changing one every day could rack up costs. Edison eventually developed a bulb that could last up to fifteen hundred hours.

Lighting Was Trail Blazing For Its Time

Thomas Edison is not the first person in history to attempt to invent this fantastic device. Previous versions of this particular invention had been created by Sir Joseph Swan, Hiram Maxim, Humphrey Davy, and Frederick DeMoleyns. It was Thomas Edison who created the longest lasting light. Many people have contributed to the evolution of this particular luminous object as the years passed. William David Coolidge improved the light bulb by creating a filament that lasted longer than any previous version. This was one of many inventions that helped change the course of history.

How This Lighting Source Works and the Various Types of Bulbs There Is Available

The light bulb works by heating up the filament until it emits light. Many materials have been used to make filaments. Carbon paper was used as an early filament, but it did not last long. Inventors even used bamboo to make filament back in the eighteen hundreds. Even platinum was used to make filaments. Carbon filaments were then used and improved as each contributing inventor took their crack at make the luminous object the incredible invention that it was at the time.

Modern Bulbs

Nowadays, a light bulb is something you hardly think about until the lights go out. There are many different types of bulbs to choose from. LED lights, halogen lights, and fluorescent lights as well. Incandescent bulbs are the most affordable type of lighting source and are also the cheapest to manufacture. However, incandescent bulbs tend to use a lot of energy. That is why many people have made the switch to more energy efficient bulbs. LED lights are very energy efficient and tend to be brighter than incandescent light. How far the light bulb has come in such a short time span is truly a great feat and has evolved greatly over the course of history.