The Invention and The Importance of Light Bulb

Imagine a world with no light. We use light in our everyday lives. That’s why the importance of light bulb can not be overestimated. Without it we would would have to use oil lamps and candles, and that would be hard. If we didn’t have the lightbulb then our lives would be very dark. The light bulb had many different inventors, and people who made improvements, and many different designs as time went along.

Thomas Edison improved the light bulb. He had many thoughts on his improvements. Edison thought he could use better vacuums. He thought he that he could make a lamp that could become incandescent or luminous. Edison described it as “a lamp for giving light by incandescence consisting of filament of carbon and high resistance made as described and secured to metallic wires, as set forth” (Buranelli 49). Edison made many improvements on the light bulb over the years. When Edison had little success with platinum, he turned to carbon (Buranelli 49). Edison used electric light to replace gas lighting. In the 1870’s, Edison took away metal for the use of the light bulb (“Incandescent Light” 1088). Edison was a very famous person who made many inventions. Edison made his first invention when he was 21 (Pagán). By the time Edison died he had patented or, single or jointly, 1,093 inventions. Edison’s first invention was an electric vote counter.

The United States patent office in Washington D.C. found that Edison had no competition in the field of practical incandescent electric lighting (Buranelli). The light bulb was a unique invention that took many tries to perfect, using different designs and improvements. The light bulb today has many different changes in it sense it was first made. The filaments today are now made from coiled tungsten. The light bulb was not created by one person. It takes many people and small improvements to reach perfection. The light bulb has a certain way and it works. Most of the electrical energy that goes into the light bulbs used to heat the wire. A generator that sends a current through a wire that goes into a vacuum could cause the wire (filament) to become so hot, it will glow (Buranelli 46). When making the light bulb, there were many different changes in the design. Edison covered a cotton thread in powered carbon to create his longest lasting filament (a wire) (Buranelli 49). For many years millions of light bulbs were sold using filaments made of bamboo (Pagán).

Every light bulb is contained by a glass sphere (“Incandescent Light” 1089). Most of the Incandescent lamps come in many different shapes and sizes. Light bulb are crucial to the way we live. The light bulb uses energy to make light. Energy can be used as a source of light and heat (“Incandescent Light” 1088). Energy can be in many forms that consist of mechanical, heat, electrical, magnetic, sound, chemical, and nuclear. The first constant light bulb was demonstrated in 1835. Most of the first lights were all incandescent. Energy is an important part of the light bulb. Energy means that an object has been moved.

We know the existence of energy because of the various was it occurs. There have been many inventions in the world and one of the biggest and most important is the light bulb. Edison improved the light bulb a lot but it took hard work. Edison once said “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” The light bulb is one of our only ways of seeing. If Edison would have stopped trying, we would not have the light bulb today.

Works Cited

1. Buranelli, V. (2003). Edison and the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death. New York University Press.
2. Energy Basics. (2022). U.S. Department of Energy.
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6. Incandescent Light. (2022). In Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/incandescent-light
7. Kean, S. (2011). The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Back Bay Books.
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9. Pagán, E. (2021). Thomas Edison. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2021/03-04/thomas-edison-how-an-inventor-became-a-cultural-icon/
10. Lighting the Way: A History of the Light Bulb. (2010). Smithsonian Magazine.