The light bulb was invented by Thomas Alva Edison, one of America’s greatest inventors. He was born in Milan, a canal town, and went on to found the first industrial research laboratory. Thomas’ parents were Samuel and Mary, and he began selling magazines at the age of twelve. He learned how to print and read newspapers while working as a salesman, and even honed his telegraphy skills.
Joseph Swan
In 1879, an English chemist named Joseph Swan invented the light bulb. His carbonized paper filament lightbulb solved the cost-effectiveness problem of previous inventors. Swan patented his invention in 1878 and demonstrated a working light bulb in Newcastle, England, in February of the same year. Swan’s invention was soon adopted by the textile industry.
Swan’s experiments included improving the carbon filament and developing a way to attach the ends. He also developed a method of treating cotton to produce “parchmentised thread.” He received the British Patent 4933 in 1880 and began installing light bulbs in homes and landmarks across England. The light bulb continued to grow in popularity over the next few decades. It is now the world’s most common type of light bulb.
While Thomas Edison is generally recognized as the inventor of the light bulb, Swan deserves credit for introducing the first practical electric light bulb. The earliest versions of the bulb were based on carbonized paper filaments, and lasted about thirteen and a half hours. Thomas Edison’s version, however, incorporated a better vacuum pump and used bamboo filaments. Modern incandescent bulbs last about 1,500 hours.
Swan’s home in England is the site of the Joseph Swan School, which is located on Saltwell Road South in Low Fell. The former residence of Swan, where he conducted most of his experiments, was converted into a private fee-paying grammar school. The school still contains some of the electrical fittings Swan originally installed.
A further significant achievement of Swan’s was the installation of his revolutionary bulbs at the Savoy Theatre in 1881. It was the first public building to be lit by electricity and used more than one thousand bulbs. Gaslight was not only uncomfortable, but it also made the audience feel dizzy and ill from lack of oxygen.
Swan was born in Sunderland. His father, John, had limited business experience, so the Swan family’s fortunes suffered in the early years. He and his brother John spent their early years roaming the streets of Sunderland and exploring local industries.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb in 1879, paving the way for modern lighting. While other inventors had been working on lighting with electricity for more than a century, Edison was able to perfect the technology and make it practical. He developed the first phonograph and early motion picture equipment, but his light bulb is perhaps most famous. The inventor refined an idea that was decades old, which was originally proposed by Humphry Davy in 1807. He connected two wires to a battery and attached a charcoal strip between the two wires. The resulting light was too bright to be used for homes, but it became the first electric option for streetlights.
Edison began to develop a practical lightbulb in 1878, after studying various materials and theories. The first bulb, called the “carbon filament,” was developed in 1879 by Edison and his team at the Menlo Park laboratory. Its carbonized filament lasted up to forty hours before catching fire. Edison’s team then developed a more reliable and efficient filament made of bamboo, which lasted up to 1,200 hours. The new bulb was first patented on Jan. 27, 1880, and Edison went on to make many variations of the design until he found one that was perfect.
Later, a British inventor, Joseph Wilson Swan, began to experiment with different materials for the filament. He found that carbonized paper was less expensive than platinum, and showed promise in terms of light. In 1860, he had a working prototype, but it suffered from two major problems: poor vacuum and an inadequate supply of electricity. It also tended to blacken the vacuum tube. Despite the difficulties, he continued to work on it.
During the 1860s, Thomas Edison was already working on improving the lightbulb and electrical infrastructure. His work paved the way for modern lighting. In addition to improving the design, Edison also invented the Edison screw, which is the standard socket fitting for light bulbs. This innovation led to the creation of the incandescent lightbulb.
Edison’s innovative spirit led him to work on many different projects, including motion pictures, sound recordings, and alkaline batteries. At one point, he created a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, where he oversees the development of lighting technology. Eventually, Edison made the switch from inventor to industrialist and businessman.
Irving Langmuir
Born in 1871 in Brooklyn, New York, Irving Langmuir was one of the brightest and most successful young Americans of all time. From a young age, he was encouraged to study nature and to make detailed records of what he observed. His older brother Arthur, a chemist, was an influential figure in his early life. After graduating from the Pratt Institute Manual Training High School, Langmuir worked in a laboratory in his bedroom. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1907 and joined the faculty of Gottingen University, where he studied under a professor named Walter Nernst.
Langmuir’s invention of the bulb began in the early 1900s, after he and another scientist named William Coolidge developed a way to bend tungsten wire. His goal was to prevent tungsten lamps from “blackening”–the process in which the tungsten inside the lamp begins to turn dim due to evaporation. In the process, he figured out a way to protect the filament from evaporation by utilizing an inert gas. Today, tungsten filament is used in electric incandescent lamps.
Langmuir was one of four boys born to Charles and Sadie Langmuir. His parents encouraged his interest in nature by encouraging him to record all his observations. At the age of eleven, he corrected his eyesight and became more fascinated with nature. He spent the rest of his life studying plants and animals in greater detail.
Later, Langmuir’s research in the field of atmospheric science led to the development of a variety of weather-related devices. His research in sonic submarine detection and nonreflective glass also helped to improve the quality of phonograph recordings. His work on the topic was still ongoing during World War II. During this time, he concentrated on aircraft de-icing techniques, improved smoke-screen generators, and even attempted to create rain using chemicals.
Despite his scientific accomplishments, Langmuir had many other interests. He was passionate about nature, and he became deeply involved in the Boy Scout community in the early 1900s. He was also involved in environmental conservation efforts in the Adirondack Mountains. Although he was passionate about his work, he was also involved in a political controversy with General Electric. He believed the Adirondacks should remain open to the public, rather than be developed for commercial purposes.
Irving Langmuir’s argon-filled bulb
Irving Langmuir was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 31, 1881. He excelled in Physics and Chemistry, and he won the Nobel Prize for his work on the light bulb. His research resulted in the discovery of the ‘concentric theory of atomic structure,’ which is credited with revolutionizing lighting.
The early tungsten filament light bulb was susceptible to blackening due to the presence of water vapour. To avoid this problem, Langmuir’s team devised a method of using an inert gas to fill the vacuum surrounding the filament. This new method did not cause the filament to burn, and the new lamp produced 12 to 20 lumens per watt. In addition to saving electricity, Langmuir’s work improved our understanding of molecular configuration and surface chemistry.
Langmuir studied at several schools in the United States and Europe, including Columbia University and the Paris School of Mines. He later returned to the United States to teach chemistry at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey. He also spent the summer of 1909 conducting research for the General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York.
As a child, Irving Langmuir had poor eyesight, and could not make individual leaves on a tree. When he was eleven, he was fitted with eyeglasses and soon began to observe the smallest of structures in nature.
After graduating from college, Muir worked at General Electric as a physicist. His contributions to the field included mathematical equations, theories, and physical inventions. His work was recognized with a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1932. He was also active in promoting environmental conservation efforts and the Boy Scouts.
Langmuir’s research led to greater understanding of lamps and the filaments within them. However, he was known for lapses of attention and was prone to absent-mindedness. His colleagues had to tolerate his forgetfulness and were patient with him. His wife recalled how he used to leave a small tip at the table after breakfast.
