Edison's light bulb. Who invented the first light bulb? Why all the glory went to Edison?

An ordinary incandescent bulb, which is used in almost every home, is often referred to as an Edison bulb. The history of her invention was not so simple. Before giving artificial light to billions of people, it has gone a long way of development.

Edison Light Bulb

American Thomas Alva Edison is one of the most enterprising people in this world. He owns about 4 thousand patents for various inventions. This man became the author of a phonograph, a telegraph, a coal microphone, a kinetoscope, an iron-nickel battery, and other instruments. It is with his name associated with the idea of creating a light bulb.

However, the Edison bulb with a coal thread inside was not the first in the world. More than ten inventors worked on the problem of creating an artificial light source. Lamps of various shapes and sizes appeared, inside of which were placed bamboo, platinum and carbon filaments. Many of them were officially registered.

Why among such a number of inventors world fame went only to Edison? Its main role was manifested not in the idea of creating a lamp, but in developing a way to make the mechanism simple to use, cheap and widely available.

First attempts

It is difficult to say exactly who owns the idea of creating a light bulb. But before the Edison lamp appeared, hundreds of experiments were carried out and many similar inventions were announced. Initially, there are arc, and then later, incandescent light bulbs. In the XIX century, the discovery of the phenomenon of the voltaic arc leads the inventors to the idea of creating artificial light. To do this, it was required to connect two connected wires to electricity, and then a little distance from each other. So there was a glow between the wires.

There is evidence that the Belgian Gerard was the first to create a lamp with a carbon rod. The device was supplied with a current, and the rod produced light. Later it became known about the Englishman Delaru who replaced coal with platinum thread.

Such light bulbs were considered valuable discoveries, but their application was accompanied by great difficulties. Platinum thread was an expensive pleasure, not everyone could afford to use such a lamp. The coal rod was much cheaper, but for a long time it was not enough.

Solid progress

In 1854, the German watchmaker Henry Göbel creates a lamp with a thin coal core, which shines much longer than the previous ones. The inventor succeeded in this by creating a vacuum. The lamp of Gobel was for a long time unnoticed, and only years later it was declared the first light bulb suitable for practical use (recognizing Edison's patent as invalid).

The improvement of the mechanism was worked by Joseph Swan, Alexander Lodygin. The latter patents the invention of a "filament lamp" operating on a carbon rod in a vacuum. In 1875, Pavel Yablochkov distinguished himself by inventing "electric candles". The Russian engineer used a filament of kaolin, which did not need a vacuum. Lamps Yablochkov used for street lighting and were widely used in Europe.

Improvement of the mechanism

The main direction was known for a long time. The rod of a certain material is in a vacuum and connected to an electric current. It remained to choose the right material for the electrode, for a long glow.

In 1878, Edison became interested in finding a successful solution for light bulbs. The inventor operated by the method of practical tests: carbonized a lot of plants, substituted various materials as a filament. After 6 thousand experiments, he manages to make a lamp made of bamboo charcoal, which works for 40 hours. The Edison bulb begins to be mass produced, displacing other lamps on the market. In 1890, engineer Lodygin registers the use of a tungsten rod, and later sells a patent from General Electric.

Merit of Edison

While developing the lamp, Edison realized that apart from the choice of materials, the design of the mechanism is also important. So, he invents the screw cap, lamp holder, creates fuses, counters, first switches, power generators. Many of the lighting components that Edison came up with are standard and still used worldwide.

The inventor made sure that the light bulbs became available to everyone. To do this, he began to sell them at a low price. Edison's electric bulb cost a little more than a dollar. The plans of the enterprising American were to make the invention so accessible that even the wax candles would seem like a luxury compared to it. Rapid automation of production allowed to reduce costs and at the same time produce a large amount of goods. Soon the cost of the lamp was about 22 cents. The inventor's dream came true - the bulbs appeared in every house.

Light bulbs Edison in the interior

Currently, light bulbs are common. They are available and very convenient to use. Moreover, many different types and models of lamps have appeared. Their practical importance has come to the fore, now they have become an important addition to the home interior.

"The Edison bulb" (see photo above) is the name of a certain kind of lamp. They are decorated in retro style and are similar to those used in the times of Thomas Edison. Such lamps emit a soft pleasant light, look like a glass bulb or ball on a strong cord. Edison's lamps are often used for the design of public premises - bars, cafes, or for decorating living rooms and bedrooms.