But by the s, researchers still had only figured out how to convert about 10 percent of the energy the incandescent bulb used into light and began to focus their energy on other lighting solutions. Discharge lamps became the basis of many lighting technologies, including neon lights, low-pressure sodium lamps the type used in outdoor lighting such as streetlamps and fluorescent lights. Both Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla experimented with fluorescent lamps in the s, but neither ever commercially produced them.
Hewitt created a blue-green light by passing an electric current through mercury vapor and incorporating a ballast a device connected to the light bulb that regulates the flow of current through the tube. While the Cooper Hewitt lamps were more efficient than incandescent bulbs, they had few suitable uses because of the color of the light.
By the late s and early s, European researchers were doing experiments with neon tubes coated with phosphors a material that absorbs ultraviolet light and converts the invisible light into useful white light. These findings sparked fluorescent lamp research programs in the U.
These lights lasted longer and were about three times more efficient than incandescent bulbs. The need for energy-efficient lighting American war plants led to the rapid adoption of fluorescents, and by , more light in the U. It was another energy shortage -- the oil crisis -- that caused lighting engineers to develop a fluorescent bulb that could be used in residential applications. In , researchers at Sylvania started investigating how they could miniaturize the ballast and tuck it into the lamp.
The many benefits of LED technology are summed up in this video. Skip to content. Account Sign In. Instant Rebates are available to businesses Click to find out about your location. BulbFinder Our easy-to-use BulbFinder will let you find the correct bulb, step by step. Worcester, MA Tel. Learn about the humble light bulb, how it came into being and how it has developed over the years. Ballasts and Dimmers - What do I need to know? Original carbon-filament bulb from Thomas Edison.
The problem was, the high cost of this platinum held the bulb back from becoming a huge commercial success. The same problem arose in when William Statie improved the longevity of arc lamps by developing a mechanism that regulated and slowed down the carbon rods, which were before quick to erode.
In , English chemist Joseph Swan attempted to resolve the issues previous inventors had encountered in terms of cost-effectiveness. In he developed a light bulb that replaced expensive platinum with carbonised paper filaments. According to the Smithsonian Institution, in February Swan presented his working lamp in a lecture in Newcastle. While the prototype worked well for demonstrative performance, it was impractical in actual use.
Edison showcased his lightbulb in December Joseph Swan made changes to his light bulb and founded his own electrical company in England. Edison was not happy and attempted to sue Swan for patent infringement, however, Swan had a strong case and it was eventually settled. Thomas Edison earned global respect for his contributions in creating the modern world. The latest festival took place in February and consisted of events such as The Edison Festival of Light 5K race, junior fun run, crafts on the river and the grand parade that brought the community together to celebrate the life and achievements of Edison.
Nick Holonyak, an American scientist at General Electric, accidentally invented the red LED light while trying to create a laser in the early s.
He continued his work on the telegraph and his ideas also gave birth to the universal stock ticker. His father Samuel supervised the construction of the new laboratory; it opened in In the period from to Edison and his associates worked on at least three thousand different theories to develop an efficient incandescent lamp. Incandescent lamps make light by using electricity to heat a thin strip of material called a filament until it gets hot enough to glow.
Many inventors had tried to perfect incandescent lamps to "sub-divide" electric light or make it smaller and weaker than it was in the existing arc lamps, which were too bright to be used for small spaces such as the rooms of a house.
Edison's lamp would consist of a filament housed in a glass vacuum bulb. He had his own glass blowing shed where the fragile bulbs were carefully crafted for his experiments.
Edison was trying to come up with a high resistance system that would require far less electrical power than was used for the arc lamps. This could eventually mean small electric lights suitable for home use. By January , at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, Edison had built his first high resistance, incandescent electric light.
It worked by passing electricity through a thin platinum filament in the glass vacuum bulb, which delayed the filament from melting. Still, the lamp only burned for a few short hours.
In order to improve the bulb, Edison needed all the persistence he had learned years before in his basement laboratory. He tested thousands and thousands of other materials to use for the filament. He even thought about using tungsten, which is the metal used for light bulb filaments now, but he couldn't work with it given the tools available at that time. One day, Edison was sitting in his laboratory absent-mindedly rolling a piece of compressed carbon between his fingers. He began carbonizing materials to be used for the filament.
He tested the carbonized filaments of every plant imaginable, including baywood, boxwood, hickory, cedar, flax, and bamboo. He even contacted biologists who sent him plant fibers from places in the tropics.
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