Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist, invented the first electric light in 1809. Davy connected two wires to a battery and attached a charcoal strip between the other ends of the wires. The charged carbon glowed, making the first arc lamp. Much later, in 1878, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist, was the first person to invent a practical electric light bulb (it glowed for 13.5 hours). This innovator built on the work of the many, many scientists before him who had improved on the original electric light. He found that a carbon paper filament worked well, but burned up quickly. Thomas Edison placed his carbon filament in an oxygen-free bulb. (Edison based his designs for the light bulb on the 1875 patent he purchased from innovators Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans.) Edison’s 1879 bulb could be used for 40 hours without burning out; by 1880, his bulbs could be used for 1,200 hours.
More than 150 years ago, inventors began working on a bright idea that would have a dramatic impact on how we use energy in our homes and offices. This invention changed the way we design buildings, increased the length of the average workday and jumpstarted new businesses. It also led to new energy breakthroughs -- from power plants and electric transmission lines to home appliances and electric motors.
Like all great inventions, the light bulb can’t be credited to one inventor. It was a series of small improvements on the ideas of previous inventors that have led to the light bulbs we use in our homes today.
