The Light Bulb

 

The Light Bulb

What?! But that was invented by Thomas Edison, we all know that.

 

Wrong!

 

Early in the 19th century amazing discoveries were being made in the field of electricity by people like Werner von Siemens, founder of German company Siemens AG, and John Pender, founder of Cable and Wireless. In the late 1800s many scientists in the then industrialized nations had been trying to develop a long-lasting and bright source of light using this new energy source.

 

Among those working on the challenge were Torontonians Henry Woodward, a medical student, and his friend Mathew Evans, a local innkeeper.

 

The exact date of their invention is not recorded, but it was some time in 1873 or 1874 that they came up with the idea to enclose a carbon filament inside a glass bulb filled with nitrogen. What is known is that they patented their idea in 1874.

 

As is often the case, even today, the inventors did not have the money to manufacture and market their product and so they sold the patent to an American. Yes, you guessed right – Thomas Edison.

 

©2009 Anthony Gussin