Invention of the Light Bulbs

The light bulb was invented in 1879.

Now the symbol for a bright idea, the light bulb itself was once such a thought inside the minds of some remarkable 19th century innovators, including the Wizard of Menlo Park.

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Edison did not learn to talk until he was 4 years old.

Thomas Alva Edison is known as the inventor of the light bulb, although a few scientists before his time did experiment with electric lights, including Humphry Davy and Sir Joseph Wilson Swan. Edison is also credited with developing the phonograph and the telegraph.

Components of the Original Bulb

Edison's light bulb research team was called "Edison's Pioneers."

Edison experimented with thousands of components in attempts to make the light bulb light. Finally, in 1879, Edison realized that a carbon filament inside a bulb with no oxygen produced a brilliant glow that would last up to 40 hours.

Improving the Original Bulb

Edison would eventually develop a bulb that lasted more than 1,500 hours.

Because the light bulb that Edison invented only lit for 40 hours at most, it did not see widespread use until an alternative filament was developed. In 1910, William David Coolidge replaced the standard carbon filament with a tungsten filament that allowed the bulb to be lit for much longer, making them more affordable to buy.

References

• Light Bulb History: Invention
• Enchanted Learning: The Light Bulb
• Thomas Edison
• ASU: History of the Light bulb

Resources

• Following the Path of Discovery: Light Bulb