History of the Light bulb

The word lamp is derived from the Greek word lampas, which literally means a light giving object such as a torch. The history of the bulb dates back to around 70,000 BC. Early mans soaked some straws in the animal fat and kept it inside some shell or naturally oval and hollow object such as a stone. Later on wicks were developed which kept the flame burning at a balanced level.

In the latter part of the 18th century, central burner was invented which was a big achievement in the development of the lamps. The luminosity could be adjusted according to need. William Murdoch, a scientist discovered the use of coal gas to light up lamps.

In 1811, Sir Humphrey Davy discovered that if an electrical arc is made to pass between two poles, it could generate light. But the arc light could not be an outright success as it could not light up for more than a few minutes. It was discovered that if passed through a resistant conductor, the filament will give out a white-hot light which can be used to light up a place. But it was difficult finding the right conductor and people gave up hope after repeated failures.

By the beginning of 19th century, gaslight was an accepted phenomenon. It was used to light up streets all over the Europe. But the invention of electric lighting changed the world like never before. On October 19, 1879 Thomas Elva Edison gifted the world a glowing bulb that continued to glow for a stretch of 40 hours. On the front page of the New York Herald It was proudly declared to the world that there will be no more darkness in the night.

After that we have seen a number of advancements in the science of bulbs. Initially, they were not that cost effective and the installation too was a tedious task but the technology became more and more advanced and now light bulbs are lighting every corner of the world. We also have a number of choice to choose from.