Who does not have a light bulb at home? Everyone knows light bulbs and uses them daily. However, few people are aware of the true story behind this wonderful invention. In this post, we will reveal the truth about who invented the light bulb.
As is well known, in more than one general culture, board game, or trivial conversation questionnaire, the invention of the light bulb has been attributed to Tomas Alva Edison, but that is not entirely true. Currently, this wonderful and revolutionary invention is one of the most used futuristic inventions in history, in most of all communities around the world.
What few comments is that the commercialization of the light bulb, in its beginnings, while it was distributed by the Edison Company; brought with it many disputes and confrontations because of the patents that were similar to those of the competition. Its commercial increase reached surprising levels; However, today the incandescent bulb is rapidly being replaced by much more efficient options and, above all, friendly to the environment; such as LED technology lamps.
Instructions
- It was Joseph Wilson Swan who invented the incandescent light bulb. Perhaps you had never heard of him, but this inventor was the one who legalized the first light bulb patent in 1880; one year before the patent was legalized by Thomas Alva Edison. Even as early as 1979, Swan demonstrated the functionality of the invention by shining a lamp at a Newcastle Chemical Society conference in February
- This famous demonstration was a boom at the time; which caused light bulbs to be quickly installed in almost every house and England. Product of that boom, in 1881 Swan created his own company known as The Swan Electric Light Company, where the commercialization of his invention reached an impressive sales boom.
- For his part, Edison also patented the incandescent light bulb but with a carbon filament in 1880. But, he worked with the bamboo filament and not the metal one, as Swan initially designed it; he worked with copper filaments. Swan’s design was inspired by the stability of the vacuum in which incandescence was produced; however, this lamp was initially inefficient and he had to improve it by redesigning the vacuum oxygen analysis. Thus, he obtained a filament that glowed almost white without the need for fire.
- Likewise, Edison worked on the design proposed by Swan to improve it initially. He proposed a design that was characterized by much more feasible and popular commercialization by patenting a design with a carbonated bamboo filament. And because he proved that his design could last 48 hours of light without burning out, his popularity gave him the name of the inventor of the light bulb.
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- Edison’s futuristic mentality differed from Swan’s in that he noted the economic potential of the invention in the market of the time. While Swan was more interested in the design itself, Edison got the upper hand with his pragmatism and public displays of it. He even went so far as to design the first public lighting system, all based on Swan’s original light bulb idea.
- Since Edison was progressively contributing to the improvements of the invention, Swan became associated with him in 1880; to create the Edison Electric corporation, but later he took the shares from his partner to found the renowned General Electric. These illustrious inventors agreed that Edison would market the light bulb in the United States, but that Swan would retain all rights reserved in the United Kingdom.
- Consequently, in 1883 he created Ediswan; that is, the famous ALAN & Swan United Electric Light Company. This corporation focused on the sale of metal plate filament lamps. However, it was Swan’s idea to use cellulose filament that became industrially standard, except with Edison’s company, the Edison Company; as he continued to opt for bamboo, until 1892 at the time of the creation of General Electric.
Tips
- Now that you know that Edison is not the true inventor of the light bulb, you don’t have to feel cheated. This scientist collaborated a lot in the improvements of the patent. However, if Edison must be applauded for something, it is for his perseverance, since his tireless trial-and error method led him to make truly significant contributions to our modern lifestyle.
- The man who argued that “none of his inventions came about by accident, but by work”, in search of achieving the improvement of the light bulb, discovered at the same time the thermionic emission; which he called for a while “the Edison effect”. Following this discovery, he patented the prototype of an electronic device: a voltage regulator.
- Surely you had not heard this in the trivia of the week. That is why we wanted to reveal it to you because Edison is often remembered for an invention that is not his, but his true and important discoveries often go under the table. The contributions of his attempts to improve the light bulb led him to give the theoretical foundations to current electronics.