History of Neon Signs

Neon lights revolutionized outdoor advertising. They have evolved beyond simple and attractive advertising to an art form that has helped define such cities as Las Vegas and business districts like Times Square.

History

Neon lighting dates to 1855, when Heinrich Geissler created glowing glass by placing gas in a tube under low pressure and applying an electrical charge to it in his German glassblowing workshop. It took another 47 years before French inventor Georges Claude successfully created a lamp from Geissler's initial experiments. Claude demonstrated his neon lamp in Paris in December 1910, and sold his first commercial sign to a Paris barber in 1912. He obtained a United States patent in 1915.

Significance

Neon lighting went from a novelty item to the most popular outdoor advertising fixture among businesses and municipalities due to its high visibility during night or day.

Function

Neon signs are composed of hollow glass tubes that are shaped into words or designs. They can radiate in more than 150 colors, depending on the type of gas used.

Types of Gases

Gold colors are created by helium, reds by neon, whites by carbon dioxide and blues by mercury.

Features

Thanks largely to the ingenuity of Las Vegas casino owners, neon signs now feature sophisticated timed programming that develops light patterns to form moving images.

Size

Neon signs range in size from the standard 3-by-4 foot bar sign to the Jack Rabbit Beans business sign in Saginaw, Michigan, the largest figural neon sign in the United States at 35 feet tall and 50 feet long.

Fun Fact

The word "neon" derives from the Greek word "neos," or "new gas."

Resources

• History of Neon Signs