Light Bulbs - Electric Lighting
Light bulbs are something that we take for granted. Most homes are equipped with them, and a quick flick of a toggle switch can immediately brighten a room. Before light bulbs were invented, people used suboptimal types of lighting, like fire, oil lanterns, and candles.
Thomas Edison is often credited with inventing light bulbs, but the incandescent light bulb was actually invented in 1820, by Warren de la Rue. He produced light by passing an electric current through a platinum coil within an airless tube.
De la Rue's light bulb was similar to modern light bulbs, except that it used a platinum filament. Later light bulbs used less expensive carbon filaments and longer-lasting tungsten filaments.
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