The first name that comes to mind when the "father of the light bulb" is mentioned is the great inventor Thomas Edison. However, just as Nikola Tesla did not invent alternating current (AC) and many things related to it, as many believed, but contributed significantly to its development and made it more usable, Thomas Edison did not invent the device called "incandescent light bulb / lamp". He developed it and made it usable.
The invention of the first working (but not very functional) light bulb in
human history can be traced back to Italian inventor Alessandro Volta in 1800. Famous
scientist who gave his name to the electric potential that everyone knows as
"voltage" or "volt". Volta succeeded in producing the first
incandescent lamp using movable discs of zinc and copper. But Volta did not go
further in this matter.
After him comes the English inventor Humphrey Davy. Davy succeeded in
producing the first functionally usable light bulb in human history in 1802. Davy
produced the first incandescent lamp using charcoal electrodes using Volta's
batteries. Unfortunately, this invention is not a functional enough lamp to be
used commercially. Because it melted so quickly. Despite this, Davy's designs
were bulb designs that marked the 1800s.
The history of the light bulb would not be complete without mentioning Warren
de la Rue, a British inventor in 1840. Rue, who produced the first efficient
light bulb in history, had to resort to an extremely expensive durable material
such as platinum. The result was never a commercial success.
In 1848, English inventor William Staite made Davy's designs even more
efficient and rivaled the Rue. But the continued need for batteries never made
these designs commercially successful.
Solving all these problems... No, not Edison. No, not Tesla either... It
was an English chemist named Joseph Swan who solved it in 1850. By using
carbonized paper filaments, Swan was able to significantly extend the life of
its predecessors. But Swan's other problem was that he used a vacuum pump. At
the time, vacuum pumps were so inefficient that overall bulb efficiency still
remained very low. Therefore, Swan could not have been the "father of the
light bulb".
In fact, high-quality vacuum pumps from Charles Francis Brush would have
contributed to Swan. However, Brush especially preferred to produce his own
lamps. He produced lamps so bright that his designs began to be used in places
requiring high light, such as street lamps. He used dynamos (electric
generators) for energy in his brush designs. Just like Edison would... Thus
Brush came very close to becoming the "father of the light bulb."
In 1874, successful Canadian inventors Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans
applied for a patent for an electric lamp. Their design was based on carbon
rods of different sizes held between electrodes in a nitrogen-filled container.
These minds produced the first commercial lamps in history... However, they
failed to make their voices heard.
Edison's Flare
This was Edison's sensational event in 1879. Working in his laboratories in
Menlo Park, Edison applied for a patent for the first commercially available
electric lamps using carbon filaments. Edison devoted a significant part of his
life to trying to find the best filament to use in his lamps. During these
researches, he gained a lot of experience by making more than 6,000 attempts.
In 1879, the patent was granted to Edison. Edison discovered in his studies
that the best filament for lamps was charred bamboo filament. This filament has
a flammability resistance of more than 1200 hours. Until further development in
the 1900s, Edison's lamps and bamboo filaments were available to people all
over the world.
Tungsten filaments were developed as a result of the work of William David
Coolidge of General Electric. Although these significantly increased the
lifespan of the bulb, they were very difficult to manufacture at the time. However,
tungsten is still the important bulb filament material today.
Edison's invention of light bulbs, practical and long-lasting, created a
tremendous reputation and success for him. J.P. Edison Electric Lighting
Company, which was established with the contributions of Morgan and other
important investors among Tesla's financial resources, has become one of the
most popular, successful and wealthy companies in the world.
Nowadays these bulbs are slowly dying. Rather, fluorescents (especially CFL
technology) and LED lamps, on which Tesla has worked for many years, are
becoming the dominant light technologies.
However, the inventor of the light bulb was not Thomas Edison. It was
Thomas Edison who made the light bulb practical. It would be unfair to mention
only Edison and not to include other valuable inventors on this difficult road.
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