| The
invention of the incandescent light bulb has a history spanning from the
early 1800s. Until that time, available light sources consisted of candles,
oil lanterns, and gas lamps. In 1809, an English chemist, Humphrey Davy,
started the journey to the invention of a practical incandescent light
source. He used a high power battery to induce current between two charcoal
strips. The current flowing through the two charcoal strips produced an
intense incandescent light, creating the first arc lamp.
In
1820, Warren De la Rue made the first known attempt to produce an incandescent
light bulb. He enclosed a platinum coil in an evacuated tube and passed
an electric current through it. The design was based on the concept that
the high melting point of platinum would allow it to operate at high temperatures
and that the evacuated chamber would contain less gas particles to react
with the platinum, improving its longevity. Although it was an efficient
design, the cost of the platinum made it impractical for commercial use. |
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