How and when did the light bulb appear? Who invented the light bulb Invention of the light bulb

Humanity has been trying to safely illuminate their homes ever since they got their hands on fire. Initially, these were fires in the cave, then - torches and other fire-hazardous objects. With the development of humanity and technology, lighting methods have changed and improved.

We won’t make deep excursions into history and find out the entire evolution of lighting devices: more than one book could be written on this topic. We will take into consideration one of perhaps the most interesting questions - who and when invented or came up with the modern incandescent electric light bulb.

A little history

This question, asked in different countries, can give a completely different answer. Americans, with their characteristic self-confidence, will argue that this is the inventor of the first incandescent lamp - their fellow countryman Edison, who received a patent for his invention in 1880. The French will name the Russian scientist Yablochkov: with the help of his invention they began to illuminate the squares and theaters of the capital of this country. Perhaps someone will remember Lodygin, an inventor from St. Petersburg, whose lamps began to illuminate the streets of the city in 1873. Most likely, there will be other answers: it all depends on the person’s awareness of this issue.

What is most surprising is that in this case everyone will be right. How is this possible?

With the invention of electricity (the discovery of electric current), scientific discoveries followed one after another. Moreover, they were made by completely different scientists and inventors, in completely different countries. Gradually, electrical engineering became a separate science (initially all this related to physical phenomena).

The beginning of the development and search for solutions for the invention of the electric light bulb was the receipt by the Russian academician Petrov in 1802 of an electric arc from the most powerful electric battery at that time. In turn, the creation of this battery became possible thanks to the invention of a chemical energy source by the Italian Volt - a galvanic cell. Thus, one invention gave rise to other discoveries, which in turn gave rise to new ideas and experiments.

By the mid-19th century, many scientists and inventors were conducting experiments to obtain a stable and long-lasting glow. The diversity of ideas led to the emergence of three areas of development. Some scientists tried to improve the electric arc lamp, others worked on an incandescent lamp, and still others worked with gas-discharge sources.

Nevertheless, the electric arc was considered the most promising in terms of lighting: it was in this direction that most of the research was carried out and various experiments were carried out. However, all researchers faced the same problem: there is a bright arc between the electrodes, and a stable arc is formed at a certain distance between them. Most experiments were carried out using carbon electrodes, which burned out quite quickly and the arc distance was constantly changing.

An automatic regulator was required. Various options were offered, but all had one drawback: each incandescent electric lamp required a separate power source. A big breakthrough in this direction was made by the inventor Shpakovsky in 1856: he managed to assemble an installation of 11 arc lamps that operated in one circuit from a single power source.

Thirteen years later, in 1869, Chikolev invented and successfully tested a differential regulator for arc lamps. This invention (in its improved form) is successfully used in powerful installations today. An example is in marine searchlights and lighthouses.

Yablochkov's breakthrough

In the middle of the second half of the 19th century, there was a relative calm in the avalanche of technical breakthroughs and new inventions. Inventors and electrical engineers still could not solve the main problem: the uneven combustion of carbon electrodes. Also, an efficient and compact regulator has not been found. But it is worth noting that there were certain achievements: the electrodes were placed in a glass flask, which gave them some protection from mechanical and atmospheric influences.

As often happens with great inventions, chance helped. Being extremely thoughtful about solving this problem, Yablochkov placed an order to the waiter and thoughtfully watched him arrange the plates and cutlery. Imagine the waiter’s surprise when the respectable gentleman suddenly jumped up and, muttering something under his breath, ran out of the cafe. Perhaps he never knew that he had unwillingly become a co-author of a revolutionary solution that got the invention of the efficient light bulb off the ground.

The fact is that until that time, all researchers placed the electrodes horizontally in the flask, which led to uneven arc formation between them. Looking at the parallel cutlery, it dawned on Yablochkov: this is exactly how the electrodes should be placed. In this case, the distance between them will be the same: the need for regulators simply disappears by itself.

Of course, the final solution to the problem was still very far away, but the main thing had been achieved: a new impetus for inventive thought had been received and the barrier of many years of marking time had been broken.

• First of all, electrical engineers were faced with a new problem: parallel rods began to burn along their entire length: the arc kept rolling towards the current-carrying terminals. The problem was solved only after placing an insulating pad between the electrodes. After numerous experiments, kaolin was recognized as the best in this quality: it melted evenly with the electrodes;
• The next problem that Yablochkov's team faced was the question of how to light the electrodes? The solution was a carbon jumper placed on top of the lamp, which, when current was applied, burned out, creating an arc;
• The problem of unequal thinning of the electrodes was solved by creating a positive rod that was thicker than the negative one. Only the use of alternating current could completely solve this issue.

In 1876, presented at an exhibition held in the English capital, Yablochkov's candle had a fairly simple design: two vertically located electrodes gave a bright and soft-matte light. A year after the exhibition, a joint-stock company was created, dealing with the study of electric lighting, based on Yablochkov’s research and achievements.

Also, during these two years, the necessary patents were obtained for the production of Yablochkov candles to begin in France, which in Europe were called “Russian light”. The production of electric generators was also launched, which powered the first mass-produced light bulb.

Incandescent lamps

Almost in parallel with this, inventions and research with incandescent lamps advanced. Edison gained worldwide fame: it is believed that it was he who invented the first lamp operating on the principle of an incandescent filament. All this is both true and slightly untrue. As in the previous case, the work was carried out by different scientists in different parts of the globe. Each new discovery and achievement moved all inventors one step forward.

Experiments with electric current began immediately after its discovery. Already at the beginning of the 19th century, experiments were carried out with the incandescence of various conductors. The goal of using this technique for lighting was set in 1844 by the inventor de Moleyn. For incandescence, he used platinum wire, which he placed inside a glass flask. However, such wire quickly melted. In 1845, the English scientist King proposed replacing platinum with carbon rods.

The first light bulb suitable for lighting and operating for about 200 hours was presented to the public by G. Gebel. For incandescence with electric current, a bamboo thread was installed in a vacuum lamp. You might ask, how was it possible to obtain a vacuum at that time? It's actually simple. Goebel used the principle used for barometers: he poured mercury into a flask, and after pouring it out, a vacuum formed in it. But due to the lack of money for a patent, this quite successful experiment was soon forgotten.

After this, the great scientist A. Lodygin began his experiments in the field of electric lighting in St. Petersburg. The experiments began in 1872 and ended with real success: the lamps designed by Lodygin began to be used in many areas, and the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences even awarded the author a prize of 1 thousand rubles.

In 1875, V. Didrikhson improved Lodygin's lamp: he pumped out air from the flask where the carbon filament was located, and also came up with a mechanism for automatically replacing a burnt-out filament. In the same year, Didrichson invented a completely new and unique at that time method for making lamp embers: vacuum carbonization using graphite. However, the chairman of the partnership that financed all the research soon died, so experiments and further improvement of the lamp ceased.

In 1876, N. Bulygin picked up the idea and began to develop it. He invented a self-retracting mechanism, which, as the carbon rods burned out, gradually pushed them into a vacuum flask to continue the glow process. The technology was complex and therefore expensive to produce.

By the end of the 19th century, the Lodygin lamp taken as a basis was known in Russia, Great Britain, France, Belgium and other countries. At the same time, in America, T. Edison was working on the creation of sustainable lighting from electricity. In 1878, Khotinsky came to North America on official business, and he had with him several lamps brought from Russia. Now it is not known for sure whether the meeting between Khotinsky and Edison was accidental or not, but they met, and Edison had the opportunity to study Lodygin’s development.

After this, Edison improved the lamp: through trial and error, he selected the most suitable material for the filament. This material, according to this inventor, was bamboo thread. In 1880, Edison received a patent for his invention and put it into mass production. In addition, it was he who came up with an analogue of the modern screw base, and also developed and introduced a lamp socket. So the first electric lamp produced on an industrial scale was indeed invented by Thomas Edison.

Around the same time, J. Swan was working on a similar invention in England. He used a cotton thread as a filament, which glowed in a flask with a vacuum. After receiving a patent in 1878, Swan lamps began to be installed in London homes. The development of production prompted the English inventor to create a large company for the production of incandescent lamps. Later, both original manufacturers joined forces and created a common company for the production of incandescent lamps.

Further development

Naturally, the development and improvement of incandescent lamps did not stop there: they were still quite ineffective. That is, they had low efficiency and did not last long. All developers and inventors made attempts to improve their inventions.

For example, Lodygin found a solution and began to use alloys of various refractory metals as an incandescent filament. He used tungsten, iridium, molybdenum and other metals. In 1890, he patented such an incandescent filament, and at the Paris Exhibition of 1900 he presented improved lamps to the general public.

An interesting fact in the entire history of the correspondence confrontation and competition between two inventors - Lodygin and Edison, is the purchase of a patent from Lodygin for his invention by the American company General Electric. What is interesting is not the fact of the purchase itself, but the fact that the founder of this company is Thomas Edison. Thus, we can say that Edison monopolized not only the production of incandescent lamps, but all the glory from its invention.

But even light bulbs put into mass production were constantly being improved, made more efficient and durable. So, in 1909, the decision was finally made to use tungsten filament. Also from that time on, it began to be placed in a zigzag pattern on several insulating rods.

With the development of technology and new discoveries, first nitrogen, then inert gas, began to be pumped into the flasks of already sealed lamps. This made it possible to increase the brightness and glow time, which also became a technological breakthrough at the beginning of the century. Later, around the 20s of the 20th century, the tungsten filament was replaced by a spiral made of the same material. This reduced the number of filament burnouts and increased service life. Subsequently, with the development of technical potential, the spiral was improved: first the bispiral appeared, and then the trispiral.

Let's sum it up

As you can see, many outstanding scientists and inventors of the 19th and 20th centuries took part in the invention of the electric light bulb. It is not possible to answer unequivocally when the first light bulb was invented: all the work was carried out in parallel and almost independently of each other, because the means of communication at that time did not allow one to quickly share their achievements with the general public. Sometimes it took years for the whole world to know about a new invention or discovery.

The modern world cannot be imagined without electricity. But relatively recently, some two hundred years ago, one could only dream about it. Lighting houses at night was available only to wealthy people: the lives of ordinary peasants and townspeople depended on sunlight. The invention of the light bulb put an end to this inequality. The device we are used to was not constructed right away. Let's remember the path that inventors have gone through to ensure that there is always light in our homes.

Contents

Lamps before the advent of the electric counterpart.

Man has been looking for ways to illuminate at night ever since he became Homo sapiens. If at the equator the daylight hours are quite long, then in the northern latitudes in winter it is only 6-7 hours. A man is not a bear, he cannot sleep for the remaining 16-17 hours. The technology for lighting homes all over the world in the pre-electric era was the same: fire. At first it was just a fire in a cave. Then, as civilization progressed and the way of life became more complex, prototypes of lamps began to appear. A suitable composition was poured into a fireproof container and a fabric wick was placed. In different countries, different liquids were used for these purposes: fats, vegetable and mineral oils, natural gas. Such lamps were a fire hazard and smoked mercilessly. And the light from them was very dim.

In the Middle Ages, beeswax candles were invented. They smoked less. The use of a large number of candles allowed the rooms to be well illuminated. But the fire danger did not go away - it was necessary to extinguish them in time. Naturally, the use of a large number of candles was available only to wealthy aristocrats or philistines. Commoners still had to be content with the dim light of a wax candle or kerosene lamp.

Who and when was the first in the world to invent the electric light bulb?

Everything changed with the invention electricity. Little by little, inventors found a way to safely, brightly, and cheaply illuminate everyone's homes.

On the issue of the primacy of the invention of the light bulb, as in many others, domestic and world points of view differ. In Russia it is customary to consider the pioneers Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkin And Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin. Scientists have come up with different types of lighting devices. Yablochkin in 1875-1876 years first designed arc lamp. However, it was later found to be ineffective. Lodygin two years earlier ( 1874) received the first patent for incandescent lamp.

In the world it is believed that the first light bulb was invented Thomas Edison. The American scientist received his patent in 1879, five years later than Lodygin. After much experimentation, Edison designed a device that burned for almost 40 hours - the maximum possible period for that time. In addition, the inventor made production cheaper so that everyone could afford a light bulb.

There is no clear answer to the question of the primacy of the invention of the lamp. Many scientists in different countries worked on it, but not all patented their discoveries. The light bulb can definitely be called the collective brainchild of the world scientific community.

History of the light bulb: stages of discovery.

Let's take a closer look at the history of the creation of the lighting device. A familiar lamp is one of the simplest electrical devices. Electrical engineering became a separate science almost immediately after the discovery of electricity in the second half of the 18th century. The history of the light bulb should begin with the invention of a chemical current source - the first galvanic cell. It was designed by the Italian scientist Alessandro Volta in 1800. Almost immediately, the St. Petersburg Academy purchased an entire electric battery for experiments, consisting of 420 pairs of galvanic cells. Professor Vasily Petrov conducted experiments with it for several years. As a result, in 1808 he discovered the electric arc: a discharge that occurs between electrode rods separated at a certain distance. Petrov suggested that this glow could be used for lighting. The English scientist Humphrey Devy came to the same conclusion two years later. Electrodes were used, both metal and carbon. The latter shone brighter, but quickly burned out. It was also necessary to constantly move the electrodes to maintain the required distance. Scientists failed to create a lighting device, but their works served as the basis for further research.

IN 1838 Belgian scientist Jobaru managed to create a working prototype of a lamp with carbon electrodes. But they quickly burned out, since the glow took place in the air.

IN 1840 Member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences Warren Delarue(English by birth) designed a lamp with a platinum spiral. The device worked for quite a long time and successfully illuminated the room, but due to the high cost of materials, production did not go beyond the prototype.

IN 1841 Irish scientist Frederic de Mollane received the first one for a lighting fixture. The device consisted of a platinum coil placed in a vacuum.

IN 1844 American patent received John Starr. His lamp worked on the basis of a carbon filament. Due to the death of the scientist, research stopped.

<>After another ten years in 1854 scientist from Germany Heinrich Goebel developed the first prototype of a modern lamp: charred bamboo sticks were used as electrodes, placed in a flask with evacuated air. The scientist managed to create a device with which he illuminated his own store. Unfortunately, Goebel was unable to obtain a patent for his device.

IN 1860 English physicist Joseph Wilson Swan presented his version of the lighting device. His patent lamp worked V vacuum with carbon fiber. Due to the difficulties of maintaining the required vacuum, the technology did not gain further distribution.

Finally, in 1874 Russian engineer Alexander Lodygin invents and receives a patent for a filament lamp. He chooses a carbon rod as the incandescent element. The filament was placed in a sealed glass vessel with air evacuated. This solution immediately increased the service life of the lamp to 30 minutes and made it possible to use it outside laboratory walls. A year later, scientist Vasily Fedorovich Didrikhson made important improvements to Lodygin's design: he placed several filaments in one device. When one carbon rod burned out, the next one began to work automatically.

Electrician Pavel Yablochkov V 1875-1876 made a discovery that led to the invention of arc lamps. The scientist studied the properties of kaolin (white clay) and saw that under certain conditions it glows in the open air. The design of the “Yablochkov candle,” as they were called then, is simple. It consisted of two parallel carbon rods coated with kaolin. The rods stood on a candlestick-type stand. The electrodes were connected by a thin carbon bridge. It burned the moment the lamp was turned on, heating up the kaolin, which subsequently glowed. The world community showed great interest in Yablochkov’s invention. Almost immediately, his lamps began to be used to illuminate the streets of Paris, and then other capitals. Unfortunately, the service life of the Yablochkov candle was short, and they were gradually replaced by incandescent lamps.

Meanwhile Joseph Wilson Swan continued his work in 1878 patented a new lamp design with carbon fiber placed in a rarefied oxygen atmosphere.

American inventor Thomas Edison did not stay away from the problem of creating a lamp. By studying world experience and our own long-term experiments in 1879 The scientist patents his lamp. At first Edison used a platinum helix, but then returned to carbon fiber. And in 1880 he creates a lamp with a service life of as much as 40 hours. The device operated in a sealed housing with evacuated air. m. The electrodes were made using a special technology from charred bamboo fibers. The lamp shone brightly and did not blink. However, production was too expensive. To reduce the cost, Edison replaces bamboo with cotton threads. Along the way, the scientist invents a switch, a base and a socket for light bulbs. The screw design of the latter made it possible to quickly and safely replace the lighting fixture.

In the late 80s of the 19th century, Lodygin emigrated to the USA, where he continued his scientific works. In the 1890s, he came up with the idea of ​​using refractory metals as filaments for light bulbs. As a result of experiments, Lodygin settled on threads of tungsten and molybdenum, twisted into a spiral. He also experimented with gas-filled lamps. In particular, Lodygin made a device with a carbon filament in a nitrogen atmosphere. Subsequently, in 1906, the scientist sold the idea of ​​​​using tungsten filament to the Edison company. Lodygin himself focused on the electrochemical production of refractory metals. This method was highly expensive. Because of this, tungsten filaments were rarely used until William Coolidge made them cheaper to produce in 1910. From this moment on, tungsten filaments replace all other filament options.

A year earlier, the problem of rapid evaporation of filament in a vacuum was solved: in 1909, the American scientist Irving Langmuir began filling the bulb of an incandescent lamp with inert gases. Argon was most often used. All this led to a significant increase in the operating time of the incandescent lamp.

Over the past hundred-plus years, their design has not changed fundamentally: a sealed glass flask filled with argon and a tungsten helix. Despite the emergence of new lighting devices (LED, fluorescent and others), the incandescent lamp does not lose its position and is widely used all over the world. It is all the more pleasant to realize that many Russian scientists had a hand (and head) in the invention of such a popular lighting device.

Modern people can no longer imagine their lives without the bright light that electric light bulbs emit.

However, few people think about who invented the light bulb and how it happened.

The evolution of this electrical device is complex and lengthy.

Many great scientists took part in the work, who gradually improved the light bulb to make it the way we see it now.

Even in ancient times, people made attempts to make devices that would provide light at night. The first known "light bulbs" used for lighting were powered by fat. For this purpose, any vegetable oil or animal fat was used. Fat was poured into a clay vessel, a cloth wick was dipped into it, and it was set on fire.

Later, people began to extract oil, and then the kerosene lamp replaced the “candle in a container.” Then the first candles based on beeswax and pork fat appeared. However, all of the light sources described above had drawbacks, so scientists worked on inventing safer and more durable devices.

This is interesting! The first safe lamp, which was widely used for lighting, appeared around the second half of the 19th century. It was during this period that a large number of discoveries occurred that were closely related to the development of electricity.

History of invention

With the widespread introduction of electricity into various sectors of the economy and everyday life, the first lighting devices began to appear. The light bulb is a great achievement of mankind. In the 18th century, 2 types of lamps appeared: arc and filament. The first lighting elements appeared earlier, they worked due to the phenomenon of arc discharge. It is expressed in the appearance of an electrical discharge between two slightly separated conductors (metal or coal). This phenomenon was studied by the scientist V. Petrov, and a little later by the English physicist Devi.

However, the arc device was capable of shining for a maximum of 5 minutes, which is why it was not used in practice. The light bulb was equipped with a large number of electrodes between two rods, which had to be frequently moved towards each other, as they quickly burned out. In addition, the product periodically emitted flickering.

In 1844, Foucault invented a design using hard coke conductors. This type of light bulb began to be used to illuminate streets. However, the high-power battery required large material costs, so its use was short-term. A little later, a device with a clock mechanism was created that automatically brings the electrodes closer after a certain time as they burn. However, such lamps did not find widespread use; at this time, scientists were inventing a more attractive light source.

Not all people know who actually invented the working light bulb. Most of them assign the title of inventor to Thomas Edison, but many scientists (including Russians) worked on the creation of the lighting element.

Inventors from different countries conducted experiments during which filaments were placed in different types of media. They aimed to create a light bulb that could be used to illuminate living spaces. To do this, the effect of incandescence of various materials was studied, current was passed through them, they warmed up and gave off a glow. It was important for the inventors to prevent the conductors from overheating, melting or burning, and also to find a balance between the filament and the environment in which it was located. It was necessary to protect the conductor from the destructive effects of air, for this they used a container, that is, a lamp bulb.

Read also How to connect two light bulbs or two lamps to one switch

One of the first incandescent lamps appeared in the first half of the 18th century; its electrodes were cast from platinum. However, such a conductor was quite fragile and expensive, so it was not popular.

The carbon filament design also did not become popular, since it burned quickly due to the presence of oxygen in the flask. Then they began to use conductors made of charred bamboo in the device, and the oxygen was pumped out of the flask. This is the first modern lamp, but it is not yet ideal.

Towards the end of the 18th century, scientists invented a light bulb with a molybdenum and tungsten filament. She was able to work for 30 minutes. Then the design was supplemented with several coal hairs, which burned in turn.

Then American scientists began to refine existing technologies.

Stages of development

If you are still interested in who invented the incandescent lamp, then pay attention to the chronology, which is presented in the table:

As you can see, the history of the development of a filament lamp is long; inventors from different countries participated in its creation.

Gerard Delarue and Heinrich Goebel

In 1840, an astronomer from England, J. Delarue, invented a design that consisted of a vacuum tube and a platinum spiral inside it. His discovery became the world's first light bulb with a filament in the shape of a spiral. The device emitted a bright glow and could be used at almost any temperature. However, its cost was high and its service life was short, so it was not popular.

In 1854, G. Gebel designed the first prototype of an incandescent lamp. This is a device with a vacuum flask and an incandescent element made of charred bamboo. Perfume bottles were used instead of flasks. The vacuum environment was created by adding and pouring out mercury. This device was fragile, short-lived, but more practical than its predecessors.

Russian scientist Alexander Lodygin

In the second half of the 18th century, the famous scientist A. Lodygin invented and patented a filament light source with carbon electrodes. Tungsten or molybdenum spirals were used as a heating element. To extend the life of the light bulb, the inventor proposed pumping out the air from it, then the conductors would oxidize more slowly. These lighting elements immediately began to be used to illuminate streets and buildings in Russia.

This is interesting! The first light bulbs that were sold in America were manufactured according to A. Lodygin’s patent. In addition, the scientist invented coal lighting devices, the bulb of which is filled with nitrogen.

A little later, Lodygin’s light bulb was improved by V. Didrikhson, who installed several sequentially burning filaments in the flask.

History has preserved for us the names of those who invented the incandescent lamp and worked on its initial models. The path to creating this most useful invention at the end of the 19th century is interesting and unusual. Today, artificial lighting in the house is commonplace. But many years have passed since the electric lamp acquired its familiar appearance and was put into production.

Timeline of invention

History of the incandescent lamp begins in the 19th century. There were still about 50 years left before a useful invention was introduced to the world. However, the English scientist Humphry Davy had already conducted experiments in his laboratory with the heating of conductors with electric current. Yet he was not the one who invented the light bulb, suitable for lighting. For two decades, a number of leading European and American physicists tried to improve Humphry Davy's experiment by heating metal and carbon conductors.

German watchmaker Heinrich Goebel was the first to invent a lamp with incandescent elements, using the method of making barometers. The invention was presented in 1854 at an exhibition in New York. The structure itself was made of cologne bottles and glass tubes, in which Hebel created a vacuum using mercury. Inside he placed a charred bamboo thread, which in a flask with pumped out air could burn for up to 200 hours.

Since 1872, Russian electrical engineers A. N. Lodygin and V. F. Didrikhson began work on an incandescent lamp in St. Petersburg. They placed a thin charcoal stick between the thick copper rods. For this invention A. N. Lodygin received the Lomonosov Prize. In 1875, V.F. Didrikhson replaced the charcoal stick with a wooden one. A year later, naval officer and talented inventor N.P. Bulygin improved the design invented by his compatriots. Outwardly, it remained almost unchanged, but by coating the carbon rods with a layer of copper, the current strength increased.

Many consider Thomas Edison to be the inventor of the first lamp. However, before the device fell into the hands of the American inventor, scientists in five European countries already had a patent for it. In what year Edison began his development of electric lighting is unknown.

In the 70s of the 19th century, Lodygin’s light bulb came to the USA. Thomas Edison did not bring anything new to the device of the Russian inventor, but he came up with a superstructure for the design: a cartridge and a screw base, switches and fuses, an energy meter. Industrial history begins with Edison's work invention history.

The first conversions of energy into light

Appearance first incandescent lamp preceded by the greatest event of the 18th century - the discovery of electric current. The first to study electrical phenomena and tackle the problem of generating current from various metals and chemicals was the Italian physicist Luigi Galvani.

In 1802, Russian experimental physicist V.V. Petrov constructed a powerful battery and with its help created an electric arc that could produce light. However, the disadvantage of Petrov's discovery was the too rapid burnout of the charcoal that was used as an electrode.

The first arc lamp capable of burning for a long time was designed by the Englishman Humphry Davy in 1806. He conducted experiments with electricity and invented an electric light bulb with carbon rods. However, it shone so brightly and unnaturally that there was no use for it.

Incandescent lamp: prototypes

Invention of the incandescent lamp attributed to several scientists. Some of them worked at the same time, but in different countries. Scientists who worked at a later time made significant improvements to the inventions of their predecessors. Thus, creation of an incandescent lamp- the work of several people.

Direct development of designs with incandescent elements began in the 30s of the 19th century. The Belgian scientist Jobard introduced the world to the first carbon-core design. His coal lamp was not widely used only because it burned for no more than 30 minutes. However, this was progress at the time.

At the same time, the English physicist Warren de la Rue presented his lamp with a platinum element in the form of a spiral. The platinum shone brightly, and the vacuum inside the glass bulb made it possible to use it in any weather conditions. Warren de la Rue's invention became the prototype for other designs, although it itself did not receive further development due to its high cost.

Another English physicist, Frederic de Moleyn, slightly changed de la Rue’s brainchild, installing platinum threads instead of a spiral. However, they quickly burned out. A little later, physicists King and John Starr improved the design of their English colleagues. The Englishman King replaced platinum threads with carbon sticks, increasing the duration of their combustion. And the American John Starr came up with a design with a carbon burner and a vacuum sphere.

First results

The first light source appeared in the workshop of Heinrich Goebel. He was not a professional inventor, but he was the first in the world to discover a lamp with incandescent elements. Goebel installed lighting fixtures in his watch shop and equipped them with a stroller, where he invited everyone. However, due to lack of funds, Goebel was unable to obtain a patent for his invention. Only at the end of his life was the German watchmaker recognized as the inventor of the incandescent lamp.

In Russia, the first inventor of designs with incandescent elements was A. N. Lodygin. Together with his colleague V.F. Didrikhson, he laid the foundation for electric lighting in St. Petersburg. The first coal lighting structures created by Russian inventors were installed in the St. Petersburg Admiralty. A year later, artificial light appeared in some shops in the capital and on the Alexander Bridge.

The fight for patents

Since work on the creation of electric light sources was carried out in many countries, several scientists received patents for similar inventions at once. However, in the United States, multiple discoveries led to a struggle to obtain a patent for an incandescent lamp.

Two venerable inventors – the Englishman Joseph Swan and the American Thomas Edison – competed for primacy in the ownership of the electric light bulb. Englishman patented a carbon lamp fiber, which began to be used in industrial production in the British Isles. Thomas Edison worked on improving Alexander Lodygin's filament lamp. He tried many metals as filaments and settled on carbon fiber, increasing the lamp's burning life to 40 hours.

Joseph Swan sued an American colleague for copyright infringement, so the lamp introduced by Edison was subsequently called the Edison-Swan lamp. When bamboo fibers were later brought from Japan, the burning time of which reached up to 600 hours, scientists again found themselves in court because they began to use this material in their inventions. The matter ended with Edison and Swan founding a joint company to produce light bulbs, which quickly became world leaders.

Metal filaments

Instead of candles, carbon incandescent lamps appeared. And then the structure was equipped with metal threads. At the end of the 19th century, German physicist Walter Nernst made a special alloy for the production of incandescent filaments. It included metals such as:

• yttrium;
• magnesium;
• thorium.

At the same time, A. N. Lodygin invents a fast-heating tungsten filament. However, then the Russian inventor sold his discovery to a company founded by Thomas Edison. Tungsten filaments marked the beginning of a new era of electric lighting.

Further inventions

Until the 20th century, interest in electric lighting among scientists was not so high. However, with the advent of the new millennium, everything changed. The twentieth century is characterized by a whole wave of inventions of various electric lamps. In 1901, American inventor Peter Hewitt introduced the mercury lamp to the world. And in 1911, the French chemist Georges Claudi created a neon lamp.

In the first half of the 20th century, designs such as xenon, fluorescent and sodium lamps appeared. In the 60s, the world saw LED lamps capable of illuminating large rooms. And in 1983, economical ones appeared that reduced energy consumption. However, the future lies with fluorescent designs that have appeared recently. They can not only save energy, but also purify the air.

It is difficult to imagine how people used to exist without an electric lamp. When the electricity goes out for technical reasons, everyone around freezes in anticipation. There is a feeling that the pulse of the planet is slowing down. Let's try to trace the evolution of this device, which we simply cannot do without now.

A little history

Who invented the first incandescent light bulb? It is very difficult to answer this question specifically and without doubt. All this is because more than one specific person took part in the invention. At different times and at different stages of development of the electric lamp, many people contributed their work and knowledge to make it the way we see and know it now.

At first glance, the lamp may seem simple, but in fact it is quite a complex technology. Even in ancient Egypt and among the people of the Mediterranean oils were used to illuminate homes, which were poured into special vessels with wicks made of cotton threads. On the shores of the Caspian Sea, oil was used instead of oils. Already at that time, people were coming up with various technologies to help them see in the dark.

It is absolutely known that the incandescent lamp was invented in the 19th century. Throughout this time, many people have tried to invent and improve the "electric candle".

Several people took an active part in the invention of the electric light bulb, namely:

• Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich;
• Gerard;
• Delarue;
• Heinrich Goebel;
• Lodygin Alexander Nikolaevich;
• Thomas Edison;
• William David Coolidge.

Stages of invention development

The first incandescent lamp, which closely resembled a real one, was invented by Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov. He devoted his entire life to electrical engineering. Inventing innovations in this area and implementing all this in life was his main occupation. The first electric candle is also his invention. Thanks to his candles it became possible to illuminate cities at night. The first electric candles appeared on the streets of St. Petersburg. This candle was inexpensive and lasted for an hour and a half. After burning out, it had to be replaced with a new one. City janitors were responsible for the work. Later, to make their work easier, lanterns with automatic candle changes were invented.

In 1838, the Belgian Gerard managed to invent an electric lamp in which a carbon rod served as the light source and an electric current was supplied to it.

Two years after this, a resident of England with French roots, Delarue, came up with the idea of ​​using a platinum filament for incandescence instead of coal. These two options were considered a huge impetus for the invention of the incandescent electric lamp, but in practice at that time their use was accompanied by many inconveniences. Carbon incandescent lamp was uncomfortable and burned out quickly, and an electric lamp using a platinum thread was distinguished by its high cost. Therefore, many continued to look for other alternative options, invented and implemented more and more new light sources. Everyone wanted the incandescent lamp to burn as long as possible, but many failed in their work on the invention.

In 1854, the German scientist Heinrich Goebel came up with the idea that an incandescent lamp would burn longer in a vacuum space. The burning time of the electric lamp was extended by several hours. Scientists spent several more years trying to ensure a complete vacuum in the lamp.

And only in 1874, our compatriot Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin managed to invent and create an ideal electric lamp that burned constantly. His brainchild passed all the tests. It was then that the real modern lamp was invented. Lodygin is therefore considered the discoverer, since his light bulb could have been on for almost half an hour. After the air was pumped out of her, she continued to work again. In 1983, for the first time, the streets of St. Petersburg were illuminated with Lodygin light bulbs. Alexander Nikolaevich came from a noble Russian family, despite the poverty of his family. His ancestor was a common ancestor with the Romanovs - Andrei Kobyla.

In America, they learned about these experiments and inventions of Alexander Nikolaevich, thanks to the naval officer N. Khotinsky. The Russian Empire ordered cruisers from America. During one of the naval officer's visits to America, he visited the laboratory of Thomas Edison and handed over to him the inventions of Yablochkov and Lodygin. Thomas Edison began trying to improve the seemingly perfect incandescent lamp. In 1879 he managed to do this. Instead of a coal rod, Thomas I tried using beech thread and achieved the desired result. The light bulb began to burn much longer.

Thomas went to this result for many days. He had to overcome more than 6,000 attempts with carbon threads. He always achieved what he wanted and found what he was looking for. His light bulbs could burn for a hundred hours. In November, Thomas allegedly patented his invention, which outraged Yablochkov; he made accusations against the American.

This invention was not the only merit of Thomas Edison. He also created a household rotary switch, without which it is difficult to imagine the operation of an electric light bulb, base and socket. His name is associated with the invention of the telephone transmitter, mimeograph and phonograph. He was the first to open large-scale production of light bulbs, which helped many people experience the beauty of electricity. Over the next ten years many scientists tried to improve the light bulb, but Thomas Edison was considered its inventor.

Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin continued, independently of his colleague and competitor from America, to create and modernize his brainchild. He was looking for a universal and long-lasting filament. He managed to achieve good success using tungsten and molybdenum filaments. It was expensive to produce lamps from these materials at that time, so the invention turned out to be ineffective and costly. In 1910, American explorer William David Coolidge managed to simplify the creation of tungsten filament, this became cheaper and made it possible to mass produce inexpensive incandescent light bulbs.

Let there be light!

The result is a modern incandescent light bulb, which consists of several important elements.

1. Flask.
2. The cavities of the flask (vacuum or gas-filled).
3. The body of the filament.
4. Electrodes (current input).
5. Hooks for maintaining the glowing body.
6. Lamp legs.
7. External link of down conductor, fuse.
8. Plinth housing.
9. Base (glass) insulator.
10. Contact bottom of the base.

Conclusion

Thus, Lenin himself had nothing to do with the creation of “Ilyich’s light bulb”. Several people worked almost simultaneously on this wonderful invention, which finally managed to dispel the darkness. Each of them made a significant contribution to the creation of a real electric light bulb. If you answer the question of who invented the lamp, you should definitely remember all these people. With your painstaking work they helped bring the invention from laboratories to our homes and fundamentally change people's lives for the better. All together and each individually is worthy of our attention, respect and gratitude.