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Last Wednesday 11th February was a significant date for any supplier of Light Bulbs like us here at Easy Light Bulbs, given that it was the birthday of Thomas Edison, who was born on that date in 1847. The American inventor and businessman were responsible for the development of so many devices that continue to greatly impact on our lives today, from the phonograph to the motion picture camera. But of course, Edison's biggest 'hit' will always be the electric light bulbs, even if it's true that the man widely known as 'The Wizard of Menlo Park' certainly did not invent it - rather, his great achievement was in making it practical and long-lasting enough to become a widespread fixture in the average person's home. Edison's first commercially practical incandescent light simply built on a series of earlier - but much less cost-effective - incandescent lights developed by the likes of Humphry Davy, James Bowman Lindsay, Moses G. Farmer and William E. Sawyer. Indeed, the history of incandescent lamps went right back to Alessandro Volta's demonstration of a glowing wire in 1800, but despite all of the advances made since then, by the late 19th century, many incandescent bulbs still suffered from such problems as expensive production costs and a short lifespan that made them far from commercially feasible. Following experiments with platinum and other metals, Edison returned to his earlier work with carbon filaments, eventually filing for US patent 223,898 (granted on January 27, 1880) for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires". Several months after the granting of this patent, however, Edison and his team discovered a carbonized bamboo filament capable of lasting more than 1,200 hours. Back in 1878, the Edison Electric Light Company had been formed by the inventor alongside several financiers - including J. P. Morgan - in New York City, with the first public demonstration of the incandescent light bulb taking place on 31st December 1879. It was a key step on the road to realizing Edison's ambition to "make electricity so cheap that only the rich will burn candles." The rest, as they say, is history. Edison, who died aged 84 in 1931, is now nothing less than light bulb royalty, and we certainly can't say that Easy Light Bulbs would exist if it wasn't for him. Browse our complete range of light bulbs today to see the endless possibilities that now exist for Edison's remarkable 'greatest hit'.
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