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The Arc Lamp
In 1803 the first Arc lamp was created by Humphrey Davy. Using a bank of two batteries and two charcoal rods. Arc lamps provided many cities with their first streetlights.
1803-1809 -
The 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. -
Lighting in a Tube
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.
1850-1859 -
Competition for the Incandescent Light
Inventors all across the world -- including William Sawyer and Albon Man and Joseph Swan in England, worked on creating an electric incandescent lamp.
1877-1885 -
Edison Begins Working on the Incandescent Light
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. Here is Edison's 1880 patent for the incandescent bulb. -
Developing the 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. -
Halogen Lamps
The first halogen lamp to use halogen gas was patented in 1882. -
Florescent Lights
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 first fluorescent lights. -
Tungsen Filament
Incandescent lamps with tungsten filaments appear on the European market. These bulbs lasted longer, were brighter and more efficient than lamps with carbon filaments. -
The Edison Screw Becomes Universal
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 lighting applications. -
Neon Tubes = Florescents
European researchers were doing experiments with neon tubes coated with phosphors. Word of these experiments helped spark fluorescent lamp research in the U.S.
1926-1934 -
Florescent Overtake Incandescents
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. -
The First Commercial Halogen Lamp
It used Iodine instead of halogen gas like in 1882, it was patented in 1959 by General Electric. It was developed by Elmer Fredrich and Emmet Wiley. -
First LED Light is Invented
While working for General Electric, Nick Holonyak, Jr., invented the first LED in the form of red diodes. Pale yellow and green diodes were invented next. -
The Florescent Bulb Goes Spiral
Edward Hammer at General Electric figured out how to bend the fluorescent tube into a spiral shape, creating the first compact fluorescent light (CFL). -
First CFL hits the Market
Early CFLs hit the market in the mid-1980s and ranged from $25-$35 a bulb. -
First Blue and White LED Lights
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. Like Christmas lights. -
Energy Department Works to Push LEDs Forward
The Energy Department partnered with private industry to push white LED technology forward by creating a high-efficiency packaged LED device. -
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.
2002-2008 -
Philips Wins L Prize 60-Watt Replacement Category
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. -
49 Million LED Products Installed
In 2012 alone, more than 49 million LED products were installed in the U.S., saving about $675 million in annual energy costs.
