February 03, 2023
On February 3, 1879, the British inventor, Joseph Swan, demonstrated the first practically usable electric lightbulb to an audience of 700 people at the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne. Swan’s home, in the nearby town of Gateshead, was the first in the world to use electric bulbs, while Mosley Street, in the Newcastle city centre, became the first street in the world to be lit by electric light.
Blue plaque erected on 3rd February 2009 by The Royal Society of Chemistry at the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle.
Swan’s incandescent filament electric light bulb was important because it showed that electric lighting was practical and viable. Thomas Edison is credited with improving Swan’s design and the two men settled a patent dispute by jointly establishing the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company.
Lighting technology has evolved to provide better energy efficiency and greater durability. Advancements have included the use of tungsten filaments, the development of the incandescent bulb and the introduction of fluorescent lights.
Today, the electric light bulb is an indispensable part of our daily lives, providing illumination in homes, offices, and public spaces around the world. The technology has continued to evolve, with the introduction of energy-efficient LED lights that use less electricity and last much longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
More recently, lighting technology is converging with IoT and artificial intelligence to provide smart lighting solutions. Light technology also permeates many other parts of our lives.
For example, it allows us to scan our purchases at the grocery store and we rely on lasers for medical imaging, from MRIs to ultrasounds, and for surgery such as skin and eye treatments.
Lasers are used to cut materials in industrial manufacturing applications and for remote sensing technology. Fibre optic cables provide high-speed data transmissions.
Post time: Dec-12-2023