TESLAbikář Volume 20 - History of lighting, Volume 2

The end of the 18th century brought a revolution in lighting in the form of gas lamps. In 1792 William Murdoch developed a system of lighting using coal gas. His innovation was soon followed by others:

• Friedrich Winzer (1804) patented the system gas lighting in London.
• Samuel Clegg (1813) improved the production and distribution of gas, thus enabling its wider use.

By the mid-19th century, gas lamps were common in many European and American cities, extending working hours and increasing street safety.

Another technological revolution in lighting came with the invention of the electric light bulb. This development was the result of the work of many inventors:

• Humphry Davy (1802) created the first electric arc discharge.
• Joseph Swan (1860) developed carbon fibre bulbwhich he later perfected.
• Thomas Alva Edison (1879) perfected and commercialized the light bulb, the filament of which lasted 40 hours.

Edison in 1882 opened the first commercial power plant in New York, supplying 400 bulbswhich ushered in the era of electric lighting.

Nikola Tesla, an often overlooked genius, played a key role in the lighting revolution:

• Developed by alternating current (AC) systemwhich made it possible to transmit electricity over long distances.
• He invented the Tesla transformer (1891), which enabled the wireless transmission of electricity and inspired the development of fluorescent light bulbs.
• Introduced by the first fluorescent lamps at the World's Fair in Chicago (1893).
• His experiments with wireless lighting opened the way for future technologies.

Tesla's clash with Edison in the "War of the Currents" (AC vs. DC) eventually led to the predominance of alternating current, allowing for wider electrification and lighting of cities.

The beginning of the 20th century brought further significant advances:

1. Neon lighting: Georges Claude Presented by neon light in 1910.
2. Fluorescent lamps: the modern fluorescent lamp was patented by Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer and Hans Spanner (1926).
3. Halogen bulbs: Elmer Fridrich and Emmett Wiley (1959) developed the first commercially successful halogen bulb.
4. High pressure sodium lamps: Arthur Loebl (1965) perfected these highly efficient sources lights for public lighting.

Conclusion

The period from the Industrial Revolution to the end of the 20th century brought enormous advances in lighting. From the first concepts of light bulbs to Tesla's experiments with wireless power transmission, each invention has pushed the boundaries of what is possible and changed the way we perceive and use light. The new technologies that began to emerge promised even greater efficiency, flexibility and possibilities than we had ever imagined.

What has lighting brought to the 21st century? How has LED technology advanced and how has it impacted our daily lives? And what does the future hold? Don't miss the latest chapter of our lighting story, where we reveal how the latest innovations in lighting are shaping the world around us and opening up entirely new possibilities for life in the future.