Trystan Casey
The electric light bulb has evolved over the years since its first inception in the early 1800s. Humphry Davy, a British electrochemist, demonstrated the use of electric light in the early 1800s, and in 1835, James Bowman Lindsay demonstrated a constant electric light. However, the electric light bulb was not further developed until the late 1870s and early 1880s, when inventors like Thomas Edison in the US and Joseph Swan in the UK developed functional incandescent lamps. The history of the light bulb is a fascinating journey of innovation and competition, with Edison and Swan eventually merging to form the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of invention | 1879 |
| Inventor | Thomas Edison |
| Other inventors | Joseph Swan, Heinrich Geissler, Julius Plücker, Warren de la Rue, William Greener, James Bowman Lindsay, Marcellin Jobard, John W. Starr, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Moses G. Farmer, Alexander Lodygin, Henry Woodward, Mathew Evans, William Staite, William D. Coolidge, Georges Claude, Irving Langmuir, Arturo Malignani |
| Type of bulb | Incandescent |
| Filament material | Carbonised cotton thread |
| Power source | Electricity |
| Voltage | 1.5 volts to about 300 volts |
| Efficiency | 2-5% of energy consumed emitted as light |
| Improvements | Introduction of tungsten filament in 1904, use of inert gas in 1913 |
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What You'll Learn
Thomas Edison's patent application
The history of the light bulb is a story of intense competition and innovation. In the late 1870s and 1880s, inventors like Joseph Swan in the UK and Thomas Edison in the US were engaged in a race to develop functional incandescent lamps. On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for his "electric lamp", specifically for an improvement in electric lamps. This patent, with the number 223,898, embodied the principles of his incandescent lamp and paved the way for the universal domestic use of electric light.
Edison's patent was not for the invention of electric lamps, but for improvements on existing designs. His design changes and choice of materials, such as a carbon filament, made his lamp reliable, safe, and practical. Edison's work on the lighting system as a whole, including the development of the first electric meter, was also significant.
The patent application process for Edison's light bulb involved submitting drawings and a letter to the Patent and Trademark Office. The application included a detailed description of the invention, which consisted of carbon wire or sheets coiled or arranged to offer great resistance to the passage of the electric current. The burner of great resistance was placed in a nearly perfect vacuum. This design, as described in the application, allowed for the creation of an electric lamp that was safe and practical for domestic use.
The patent application also included a case number (186) and a request for recognition of Lemuel W. Edison's work in the field of electric lighting was already well-known by the time he submitted his patent application for the light bulb. His previous inventions, such as the phonograph and the moving picture camera, had already revolutionized the way people lived their daily lives. With his work on the light bulb, Edison propelled the United States out of the gaslight era and into the electric age.
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Early electric lighting
The history of the light bulb is a long one, stretching back to the early 19th century. Before electric lighting became commonplace in the early 20th century, people used candles, gas lights, oil lamps, and fires for illumination. The first electric battery, the voltaic pile, was invented by Alessandro Volta in 1799-1800. Humphry Davy's invention of the carbon arc lamp, the first practical electric light, followed soon after in 1805. This lamp was used commercially for large-scale building and street lighting in the 1870s, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that it was superseded by the incandescent light.
In the mid-19th century, there were significant advancements in electric lighting. Warren de la Rue created one of the world's first electric light bulbs in 1840 by enclosing a platinum coil in a vacuum tube and passing an electric current through it. Although this design was efficient, platinum's high cost made it impractical for commercial use. William Greener, an English inventor, made significant contributions to early electric lighting in 1846 with a lamp that laid the groundwork for future innovations by Thomas Edison.
The late 19th century witnessed intense competition and innovation in the lighting industry. Inventors like Joseph Swan in the UK and Thomas Edison in the US independently developed functional incandescent lamps. Edison's patent for an improvement in electric lamps was granted on January 27, 1880, paving the way for the universal domestic use of electric light. Edison focused on creating bulbs with thinner filaments, leading to a superior design. Swan's bulbs, based on William Staite's designs, had thicker filaments. The rivalry between Swan and Edison eventually resulted in the formation of the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company.
The turn of the century brought further advancements in bulb longevity and efficiency. The introduction of the tungsten filament by William D. Coolidge in 1912 became the standard for incandescent bulbs for many years. Irving Langmuir discovered in 1913 that putting an inert gas like nitrogen inside the bulb doubled its efficiency. In 1910, Georges Claude introduced the first neon light, which became popular in advertising signage. By the early 20th century, incandescent lights had completely replaced arc lamps.
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The incandescent lamp
Other inventors, such as Joseph Swan in the UK, were also working on developing functional incandescent lamps during this period. Swan's bulbs were based on designs by William Staite, and while they were successful, the filaments were too thick. Edison worked to create bulbs with thinner filaments, leading to a better design. The rivalry between Swan and Edison eventually led to a merger, forming the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company.
Over time, improvements were made to the incandescent bulb, such as the introduction of the tungsten filament by European inventors in 1904, which increased the longevity and brightness of the bulb compared to carbon filament bulbs. In 1912, William D. Coolidge applied for a patent for his tungsten filament design, which became the standard for incandescent bulbs for many years. In 1913, Irving Langmuir discovered that placing an inert gas like nitrogen inside the bulb doubled its efficiency. Despite these improvements, incandescent bulbs are highly inefficient compared to other types of electric lighting, as they are only able to convert less than 5-10% of their energy into visible light, with the rest being released as heat. Due to their low energy efficiency, incandescent bulbs are being phased out in favour of more efficient lighting technologies like CFLs and LED bulbs in many countries.
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The carbon filament
Despite these advancements, the high cost of platinum hindered its commercial viability. This prompted inventors to explore alternative materials, such as carbonized paper filaments. In 1850, British physicist and chemist Joseph Swan began working with carbonized paper filaments in an evacuated glass bulb. By 1860, Swan successfully demonstrated a working device, but it had a short lifespan due to the lack of an adequate vacuum and power supply.
In 1874, a Canadian patent was filed by Henry Woodward and Mathew Evans for a lamp with carbon rods in a nitrogen-filled glass cylinder. They sold the rights to Thomas Edison in 1879, who was working on a similar concept. Edison's team, including Charles Batchelor and A. Poinier, made significant strides in improving the filament. In 1879, they created a light bulb with a carbonized filament of uncoated cotton thread that burned for 14.5 hours, long enough to light a home.
The rivalry between Swan and Edison eventually led to a merger, forming the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company. Their combined efforts resulted in thinner filaments and better designs, marking a significant step forward in the evolution of the electric light bulb.
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The tungsten filament
The story of the tungsten filament begins with the development of the incandescent lamp. In 1809, Humphrey Davy created one of the first electric lights by generating an electric current between two strips of charcoal, known as the carbon arc lamp. Over the next several decades, numerous inventors, including Warren de la Rue, Moses G. Farmer, and Thomas Edison, contributed to the evolution of the incandescent lamp, experimenting with different filament materials such as platinum, carbon, and various metals.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the search for a suitable filament material continued. During this time, William D. Coolidge, working for General Electric, played a pivotal role in the development of the tungsten filament. Tungsten possessed desirable properties, including the highest melting point of all elements, a white-hot glow, and the ability to render lifelike colours. However, it was challenging to work with. Coolidge persevered, and by 1903, the General Electric Company was using ductile tungsten filaments. In 1904, Coolidge developed a method for creating "ductile tungsten" from sintered tungsten, which could be made into filaments. This innovation became the standard for incandescent bulbs for many years.
Coolidge's work laid the foundation for further advancements. In 1904, Hungarian Sándor Just and Croatian Franjo Hanaman were granted a patent for a tungsten filament lamp that was brighter and more durable than its carbon filament predecessor. This type of bulb was first marketed by the Hungarian company Tungsram in the same year. By 1911, General Electric had begun selling incandescent light bulbs with ductile tungsten wire, and they licensed Coolidge's technology to other bulb manufacturers.
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Frequently asked questions
The light bulb can't be credited to one inventor. However, Thomas Edison is often the first name that comes to mind when we think of the invention of the light bulb. Edison received a patent for his incandescent lamp on January 27, 1880, which paved the way for the universal domestic use of electric light.
Joseph Swan in the UK and Thomas Edison in the US independently developed functional incandescent lamps in the late 1870s and 1880s. Other inventors who made significant contributions to early electric lighting include William Greener, Heinrich Geissler, Julius Plücker, John W. Starr, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Moses G. Farmer, Alexander Lodygin, Henry Woodward, and Mathew Evans.
Edison worked to create bulbs with thinner filaments, leading to a better design. He also created a complete user-ready lighting system, including dynamos to make electric power, wires and fuses, and switches to turn the lights on and off.
Early light bulbs used platinum or carbon filaments. However, the high cost of platinum made it impractical for commercial use.
Electric lighting became common in the early 20th century.
