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Flashlight History
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First Idea
Russian immigrant and inventor, Conrad Hubert, founded his company called American Electric Novelty and Manufacturing Company (Later renamed Eveready Battery Company). His company manufactured things like bow ties and flower pots that lit up. -
Patented
British inventor, David Misell who was living in New York, patented the original flashlight and sold those patent rights to the Eveready Battery Company. -
First Flashlight
Misell's patent was issued on January 10, 1899. This portable light was designed in the now familiar tube-shape and used three D batteries laid out in a line, with a lightbulb at one end of the tube. -
Commercial
The answer is that the first flashlights had batteries that did not last very long, providing a "flash" of light so to speak. However, Conrad Hubert continued to improve his product, making the flashlight a commercial success, Hubert a multi-millionaire, and Eveready a huge company. -
Flashlight Improvements
By 1922 several types were available; the tubular hand-held variety, a lantern style that could be set down for extended use, pocket size lamps for close work, and large reflector searchlight-type lamps for lighting distant objects. In 1922 there were an estimated 10 million flashlight users in the United States, with annual sales of renewal batteries and flashlights at $20 million, comparable to sales of many line-operated electrical appliances. -
Modern Day Flashlights
Modern flashlights generally have the same or similar parts and work basically the same. They most commonly use incandescent light bulbs or LEDS.They are much more efficient than incandescent light bulbs and last longer. As a source of energy, they mostly use batteries but the can use accumulators or super-capacitors, they can be charged by solar power or mechanically. -
Last Information
Megan Mischler
1st Block
2/16/16
