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Talk to an Expert
The invention of the light bulb wasn’t a singular event. While history often credits Thomas Edison in 1879, the story starts earlier in 1802.
England’s Sir Humphry Davy created the first electric light using a battery and platinum strip. This wasn’t a practical light bulb shape, but it marked a beginning.
More inventors followed, with James Bowman Lindsay showing a steadier light source in 1835. By 1883, the Edison and Swan United Electric Light Company emerged, signifying progress in the industry.
From the familiar to the innovative, light bulbs today come in a variety of forms, each with pros and cons.
The incandescent light bulb is a standard light bulb. These traditional incandescent light bulbs use a simple mechanism: electricity heats a filament, producing light.
The drawback? They are not energy efficient. About 90% of the energy becomes heat, not light, making them costly in the long run.
This inefficiency led to a ban on inefficient bulbs in the US. While some modern versions use less energy, they’re still being phased out.