1803 — 1809 : Incandescent- First Arc Lamp Is Created
Photo courtesy of Matty Greene, Energy Department
Humphry Davy demonstrated the first incandescent light to the Royal Institute in Great Britain, using a bank of batteries and two charcoal rods. Arc lamps provided many cities with their first electric streetlights.
1835 :Incandescent
First Constant Electric Light Is Demonstrated
James Bowman Lindsay demonstrated a constant electric light at a public meeting in Scotland. Some have credited him with being the inventor of the incandescent light bulb.
1850 — 1859 :Fluorescent - Lightning in a Tube
In the 19th century, two Germans discovered that they could produce light by removing almost all of the air from a long glass tube and passing an electrical current through it. Called Geissler tubes, they became the basis of many lighting technologies including fluorescent lights. Pictured here are color drawings of early Geissler tubes.
1877 — 1885: Incandescent
Competition for the Incandescent Light Bulb Heats Up
1878: Incandescent
Edison Begins Working on Incadescent Lights
Drawing courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
In 1878, Edison and his researchers at Menlo Park turned their attention to incandescent lamps. They focused on improving the filament -- first testing carbon, then platinum, before finally returning to a carbon filament. Pictured here is Edison's 1880 patent for the incandescent bulb.1882: Incandescent - Developing a Whole Lighting System
Edison focused on the entire lighting system, showing that it was possible to distribute electricity from a centrally located generator with the Holborn Viaduct in London and developing the first commercial power utility in lower Manhattan.1901:Fluorescent - Precursor to Fluorescent Lights
Drawing courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Peter Cooper Hewitt created a blue-green light by passing an electric current through mercury vapor. The lights had few suitable uses because of the color but were one of the precursors to fluorescent lights. 1904: Incandescent
Out with the Carbon Filament and in with the Tungsten
Image courtesy of the National Museum of American History
In 1904, incandescent lamps with tungsten filaments appear on the European market. These bulbs lasted longer, were brighter and more efficient than lamps with carbon filaments.1908: Incandescent
Edison Screw Becomes Universal
Photo courtesy of of ©iStockphoto/TokenPhoto.
Part of Edison's contribution to the light bulb was the socket he developed, which today is called the Edison Screw. By 1908, it was the most commonly used light bulb socket used, and today, it is used for almost all residential lighting applications.1913: Incandescent
Doubling the Efficiency of Incandescents
Irving Langmuir discovered that filling a light bulb with inert gas like nitrogen instead of vacuuming out the air doubled the light bulb's efficiency.1926 — 1934Fluorescent
Neon Tubes + Phosphers = Fluorescents
By the late 1920s and early 1930s, European researchers were doing experiments with neon tubes coated with phosphors. Word of these experiments helped spark fluorescent lamp research in the U.S.1939: Fluorescent
Fluorescent Lamps on Display
Photo courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries
In 1939, GE and Westinghouse introduced fluorescent lamps at both the New York World's Fair and the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco. 1951 : Fluorescent
Fluorescent Overtake Incandescent
By 1951, more light in the U.S. was being produced by linear fluorescent lamps than incandescent -- a change that was led by the need for efficient lighting during World War II.1962: LED
First Light Emitting Diode (LED) Is Invented
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
While working for General Electric, Nick Holonyak, Jr., invented the first visible-spectrum LED in the form of red diodes. Pale yellow and green diodes were invented next.1973: Fluorescent
Energy is No Longer Cheap
The 1973 oil crisis marked a turning point in U.S. energy consumption because energy was no longer cheap. Researchers rose to the challenge and began developing fluorescent bulbs for residential use.1976Fluorescent
Fluorescent Bulbs Go Spiral
In 1976, Edward Hammer at General Electric figured out how to bend the fluorescent tube into a spiral shape, creating the first compact fluorescent light (CFL).1978: LED
Photo courtesy of David R. Tribble, Wikimedia Commons.
LEDs Appear in Consumer Products
As researchers improved red diodes and their manufacturing, companies began incorporating them into consumer products like calculator displays and indicator lights.1985: Fluorescent
First CFL Hits the Market
Photo courtesy of PiccoloNamek, Wikimedia Commons.
Early CFLs hit the market in the mid-1980s and ranged from $25-$35 a bulb.1994: LED
First Blue, Then White LEDs
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
The invention of the blue diode in the 1990s quickly led to the discovery of white LEDs. Shortly thereafter, researchers demonstrated white light using red, green and blue LEDs.2002 — 2008: LED
Photo courtesy of the Energy Department
First Residential LED Bulb Hits the Market
By 2008, there were just a few LED replacement bulbs on the market, and most were 25-40 watt equivalents.2011: LED
Photo courtesy of Philips Lighting.
Philips Wins L Prize 60-Watt Replacement Category
After a rigorous review process, the Energy Department announces that Philips' entry in the 60-watt replacement category has met all performance requirements and declares it the winner of that category.Source: Department of Energy, USA.
