History of Electricity: How The Light Bulb Changed The World

The light bulb greatly changed the world in many ways that continue to affect how individuals experience their lives today. Long ago using natural sources, for example, candles, lamps, and firewood were common ways of illuminating dark places. Billions of people have got accustomed to the convenience of the lightbulb that they couldn’t imagine a life without it.

So much has changed in our society since the invention of the light bulb during the late 1800s. Back then, other than using sunlight, torches, and anything that could hold fire was used for light. (“A Brief History of Lighting” n.d)When the lightbulb was created, it was instantly found in many homes far and wide. The lightbulb brought many new opportunities and new innovations that have changed the way that individuals had been living. The light bulb also brought other benefits besides light at night such as growth in jobs, products and the economy. (Kalinowski, n.d.)

Today, the lightbulb is available in various sizes, shapes, and watts. You can use them for different needs from illuminating a room to decorations to driving at night. The light bulb also has played an imperative part in the advancement of different sorts of items fundamental for living, for example, headlights for vehicles, flashlights, and medical devices. The price of a light bulb is also fairly reasonable with new varieties being made to help buyers save money on electricity costs.

When the light bulb was first developed, its primary purpose was to light the homes of millions and to light working environments, making working easier and less upsetting on laborers’ eyes. This development enabled companies to expand their workdays by many hours. Thomas’ goal was to replace the Gaslight with a safe, and affordable electric light. (“First Public Demonstration of Edison’s Light Bulb,” n.d.) Edison made the light bulb in 1879, and right up ’til today, it is still just as helpful, if not more so. As time has passed, the light bulb has grown more important with an ever-increasing number of purposes that all of us take for granted.

In 1878, the most common way of lighting was gas. Gas, however, wasn’t a convenient option. It was unclean, foul, and health threatening. When the gas was burned, it stained the walls and other fixtures with soot made from the gas so it had to be cleaned each day. It also contaminated the air and made summer days hotter and more miserable. It caused accidents, for example, blasts and flames, and also had to be tended by a grown-up. (“Gas lighting.” n.d.)

The light bulb has served many purposes over the years, and furthermore, effects the world, likely more than many other inventions. It was a big change for those individuals that lived during the time period. For one, it enabled them to work longer days, go home late and still have a supper or do any left finished work they had from the day, attend social gatherings like meetings and parties, even though it was dark outside. Inside their homes, it was basically like the sun hadn’t gone down yet. Things that were not able to perform or finish by lamp or candlelight following a long hard day of work, could likewise now be expert.

The light bulb hasn’t been altered or enhanced that much but, right up ’til the present time, its still holds its place in our daily lives. As it were, we nearly take for granted that if it weren’t for Thomas Edison’s commitment and hard work, we still may have had to stop most activity by nightfall. In today’s society, the light bulb is used in almost every public place such as supermarkets, shopping centers, business offices, schools, parks, libraries and movie theaters. It lights up roadways and lets us drive vehicles The light lights up our town avenues and enables us to do ordinary exercises, for example, drive our vehicles or read a book after the sun sets and vanishes. The lights fill in as an admonishing light for any execute noticeable all around, on the ground, or on the water. They are additionally used in the field of technology, for example, in your phone, microscopes, TVs, Computer screens, and a lot more.

Thomas Edison’s first lightbulb was able to glow for about 40 hours. He experienced issues trying to make it work at first. For years, designers and inventors had been trying to create a superior light source that was powered by electricity. They had just worked out the basic blueprints of their electric lightbulb. It would be made of a filament in a vacuum, and when a current went through the fiber it would glow. Even though the blueprint was theoretically correct, the problem they constantly ran into was finding a fiber that would not disintegrate when the electric current ran through it. It was quite literally a guessing game for Edison and his associates. (Palermo, 2017)

Edison sent his workers everywhere throughout the world, to search for any kind of thread or wire they could find. He even attempted his use hair from his friend beard. After trying over 6,000 different plant materials him and his associates eventually found carbonized bamboo. (“The Practical Incandescent Light Bulb” n.d) For some time, the fiber most regularly used was carbon, however since the vacuums were not strong enough, it kept disintegrating. After numerous more trials and a significantly stronger vacuum, Edison found that if he bent the carbon fiber into the shape of a horseshoe it would glow for 100 hours. With this new find, Edison and his associates were able to create better renditions of his original and made other improvements to make it last up to 1500 hours. (“The Improvement of the Electric Light Bulb” n.d.)

In conclusion, without the invention of the light bulb, the way we would have lived our lives would be very different. It probably wouldn’t be as developed as it is today either. Because of the lightbulb, there is a lot of additional time to work during the day, which resulted in other inventions coming about much faster than if we didn’t have it. We owe Thomas Edison a big thank you for his contributions to the technology we have today.

Works Cited

1. A Brief History of Lighting. (n.d.). Edison Tech Center.
2. Gas lighting. (n.d.). Environmental Health and Safety.
3. Kalinowski, A. (n.d.). The impact of the light bulb on society. Small Business. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/impact-light-bulb-society-4933.html
4. Palermo, E. (2017, October 20). How Edison invented the light bulb — and lots of myths about himself. Live Science.
5. The Practical Incandescent Light Bulb. (n.d.). The Franklin Institute. https://www.fi.edu/history-resources/practical-incandescent-light-bulb
6. Adams, S. (2018, February 9). How LED light bulbs work. Digital Trends.
7. Edison, T. A. (1879). United States Patent Office Patent No. 223,898: Electric Lamp.
8. Jakle, J. A. (1999). The history of the American streetlight, 1789-1975. University of Texas Press.
9. Schivelbusch, W. (1988). Disenchanted night: The industrialization of light in the nineteenth century. University of California Press.
10. Wilson, R. (2019, March 7). 15 innovations that shaped the modern world. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190306-15-innovations-that-shaped-the-modern-world