History of Neon Signs

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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.

  1. History

    • Georges Claude, left, demonstrates his invention in 1926.

      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

    • Simple neon designs provides a strong impact.

      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

    • Elaborate signage usually attracts walk-in business.

      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

    • Jack Rabbit Beans neon sign is the largest in U.S.

      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."

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Resources

  • Photo Credit City of Las Vegas

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