Who invented the light bulb was Thomas Edson, scientist and businessman in the United States, and it was not just the light bulb that he invented, no, know that throughout his life he registered 2,323 patents. The invention of the light bulb took place on October 21, 1879, when he managed to make one of them light up and shine for 45 uninterrupted hours.

This invention was a great milestone, as the “Age of Electricity” began there, and due to that lamps, candles and old wooden torches were finally replaced by electric lamps.

So Thomas began researching which would be the most durable option, and thus discovered that carbonized bamboo could burn for 1,200 hours. This was the raw material used until the early 1900s, when it was replaced by other, much more durable alternatives.

Who was Thomas Edison?

We can never fail to mention here that other well-known scientists who were also essential for the invention of the light bulb, we will talk about later. But really the invention is from Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) the great and exotic American scientist.

He was the son of a very skilled and hardworking father, who spared no effort to bring home his daily bread. The same did everything, he was a carpenter, dealer and much more.

His mother was a dedicated housewife, who in turn always saw special things in Thomas, perhaps because he was the last child of the seven siblings he had.

Thomas has already worked as a telegraph operator, newsboy, and when he was young his deafness problem already started, but that was no obstacle for him, as he has always been a very creative person.

We can only say that Thomas Edison was actually the one who created the light bulb, thus providing a light in the darkness for the whole world. With all certainty, after this invention, human life began to have much more quality, because this great invention saves lives, there is no doubt about it.

Challenges faced by the inventor:

If you think that the invention was that simple, you are wrong. Only after a thousand attempts did Thomas succeed. As he himself said: “they were not mistakes, but a thousand different ways of making an electric light bulb. So by using a thin carbon filament under high vacuum he achieved the feat.

Of course, finding the right filament was perhaps his biggest challenge, 6,000 different types of materials were used, and an amount of $ 40,000 dollars was spent.

And it was using a simple carbonized cotton sewing thread for the filament, that the lamp then remained incandescent for 40 hours. This was the best result achieved by Thomas and his team.

The success of the invention:

So after the invention worked, Thomas registered his product and thus began to market it, initially manufacturing and selling residential lamps.

The market reacted to the invention, and Thomas's company, the Edison Electric Company, had a huge jump in its shares, which at the time were worth $ 3,500 dollars.

And in the year 1890, which was the year in which Thomas Edison was finally able to prove to the whole world in court the paternity of all his inventions. And in this way the whole planet came to know about the great invention.

Scientists who tried before Thomas:

Before Thomas Edison many other scientists also tried creating their own prototypes, know who they were:

Alessandro Volta:

One of the first inventions that provided a source of electricity was invented by the Italian Alessandro Volta in 1800. It was Alessandro who invented the voltaic pile as well.

That it was a primary battery that used zinc, copper, cardboard and even salt water. His device, when wound with copper wire at its ends, conducted electricity.

Humphry Davy:

Six years after Alessandro Volta's invention, then the English Humpry Davy used a battery like the Volta to produce a reliable electric current.

And so he was able to exhibit the first lamp with the shape of an electric arc. They delivered light through electrodes in the open air, but in turn ionized gas. Even though they burn very quickly for domestic use, they were widely used in public environments.

James BowmanLindsay:

In the year 1835, then the Scotsman James Bowman Lindsay managed to show that constant electric light was indeed possible using a copper filament.

Warren de la Rue:

In the year 1840 the British warren de la rue used a platinum filament due to its high melting point, and also because it could withstand large amounts of electricity and glow, and without bursting into flames due to the high temperature. His theory was quite good, but as platinum was too expensive, his theory was discarded due to the high cost.

Joseph Swan:

In the year 1850 the British scholar Joseph Swan began his research on lighting problems and their cost-benefit relationship. In the following years he turned to cheaper alternatives, and in 1869 he patented a design that used cotton threads, but it was of no use.

So in 1879 he managed to develop a light bulb using cotton filament soaked in acid and vacuum sealed in a glass bulb. After a period he himself discovered problems and the ineffectiveness of his prototype, but even so he continued with the experiment.

Conclusion:

Now that you already know that Thomas Edison really invented the light bulb, which in our point of view is certainly one of the greatest inventions of all time.

Because in addition to its fantastic utility, on top of that it collaborated with the environment by ridding it of excess pollutants from old gas lamps. And we can only thank the man responsible for the invention because a lot has changed since then. Have you ever imagined the world without light? That's it, we hope you enjoyed this amazing and very important story. A big hug and success ?