Who is the inventor of the first electric lamp. The electric incandescent lamp was invented in Russia. The history of the invention of the electric lamp

Answers to this seemingly simple question can be heard different. The Americans will no doubt insist that it was Edison. The English will say that this is their compatriot Swann. The French may remember the "Russian light" inventor Yablochkov, who began lighting the streets and squares of Paris in 1877. Someone will name another Russian inventor - Lodygin. There will likely be other answers. So who is right? Yes, perhaps everything. History of the light bulb is a whole chain of discoveries and inventions made by different people at different times.

Before moving on to the chronology of the invention of the light bulb, I would like to note what we mean by the term "light bulb". First of all, it is a light source, a device, a device in which electrical energy is converted into light energy. But the conversion methods can be different. In the 19th century, several of these methods were known. Therefore, already then several types of electric lamps appeared: arc, incandescent and gas-discharge. An electric lamp is a technical system, i.e. a set of individual elements necessary to perform the main useful function - lighting.

The history of the emergence and development of the electric lamp is inseparable from the history of electrical engineering, which begins with the discovery of electric current in the 18th century. Later, in the 19th century, a wave of discoveries related to electricity swept the world. It was like a chain reaction, when one discovery opened the way for the next. Electrical engineering from the section of physics stood out as an independent science, on the development of which a whole galaxy of scientists and inventors worked: the Frenchman Andre-Marie Ampere (French Andre Marie Ampere), the Germans Georg Ohm (German Georg Simon Ohm) and Heinrich Hertz (German Heinrich Rudolf Hertz), Englishmen Michael Faraday and James Maxwell and others.

The amazing 19th century, which laid the foundations for the scientific and technological revolution that changed the world so much, began with the invention of a chemical current source (voltaic column). With this extremely important invention, the Italian scientist A. Volta met the new year 1800. And already in 1801, Vasily Petrov, a professor at the St. Petersburg Medical and Surgical Academy, managed to persuade the authorities to purchase for their physics office the most powerful electric battery for those times, consisting of 4200 pairs of galvanic cells. Conducting experiments with this battery, Petrov in 1802 discovered an electric arc - a bright discharge that occurs between carbon rods-electrodes brought together at a certain distance. He also suggested using an arc for lighting.

However, in the practical implementation of this idea, many difficulties arose. Experiments have shown that the arc burns brightly and steadily only at a certain distance between the electrodes. And during the burning of the arc, the carbon electrodes gradually burn out, increasing the arc gap. A regulator mechanism was required to maintain a constant distance between the electrodes.

Inventors have come up with different solutions. But they all had the disadvantage that it was impossible to include several lamps in one circuit. I had to use a separate power source for each lamp. This problem was solved in 1856 by the inventor A.I. Shpakovsky, who created a lighting installation with eleven arc lamps equipped with original regulators. This installation illuminated Red Square in Moscow during the coronation of Alexander II.

In 1869, another Russian inventor, V.I. Chikolev, applied a differential regulator to an arc lamp and used it in powerful marine searchlights. Such regulators are still used in large projector installations. Unfortunately, all arc burners have been unreliable and expensive.

The decisive role in the transition from experiments on electricity to mass electric lighting was played by the Russian electrical engineer Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov. Yablochkov began his work in Russia, organizing a workshop of physical instruments in 1875 in St. Petersburg. In the same year, he came up with the idea to create a simple and reliable arc lamp. However, the financial collapse of the enterprise forced Yablochkov to leave for Paris in 1876, where he continued his work on the arc lamp in the famous Breguet watch and precision instrument manufacturer.

The problem was still the same - a regulator was needed. The idea came as always unexpectedly. The case helped. Thinking hard about this problem, Yablochkov went to have a bite to eat in a small Parisian cafe. The waiter came. Yablochkov, continuing to think about his own, mechanically watched how he puts the dish, puts the spoon, fork, knife ... And suddenly ... Yablochkov abruptly got up from the table and went to the exit. He hurried to his studio. Solution found! Simple and reliable! It came to him as soon as he looked at the cutlery lying next to each other, parallel to each other.

Yes, this is how carbon electrodes should be placed in the lamp - not horizontally, as in all previous designs, but in parallel (!). Then both will burn out exactly the same, and the distance between them will always be constant. And no complex regulators are needed.

The Parisian waiter did not even suspect that he had become, as it were, a co-author of the invention. But who knows, if he hadn’t put a knife and a spoon so carefully in front of Yablochkov, maybe a lightning-fast guess would not have dawned on the inventor. True, the "hint" of the waiter found fertile ground. After all, Yablochkov was looking for his solution even at the cafe table, waiting for the order. By the way, this is an excellent example of the use of associative thinking in solving a complex technical problem. On the other hand, this case is an example of solving a technical problem, when an ideal device (in this case, a regulator) is something that does not actually exist, but functions are performed.

Of course, this was only an idea, and not a complete solution to the problem - creating an inexpensive and reliable lamp. It took a lot of work to get there. First of all, with the parallel arrangement of the electrodes, the arc can burn not only at the ends of the electrodes, but also along their entire length, and most likely, it will roll down to their base - to the current-carrying clamps. This problem was solved by filling the space between the electrodes with an insulator, which gradually burned out along with the electrodes.

The composition of this insulator still needed to be selected, which was done by using clay (kaolin) for this. How to light a lamp? Then, at the top, between the electrodes, a thin carbon jumper was placed, which burned out at the moment of switching on, setting fire to the arc. There was still the problem of uneven combustion of the electrodes associated with the polarity of the current. Because the "+" electrode burned out faster, it initially had to be made thicker. Another, ingenious, solution to this problem was the use of alternating current.

The design of the arc lamp turned out to be simple: two carbon rods separated by an insulating layer of kaolin and mounted on a simple stand resembling a candlestick. The electrodes burned evenly, and the lamp gave a bright light, and for quite a long time. Such an "electric candle" was easy to make and cheap.

In 1876, the Russian inventor presented his invention at the London Exhibition. And a year later, the enterprising Frenchman Deneuruz achieved the establishment of a joint-stock company "Society for the Study of Electric Lighting Using Yablochkov's Methods". Yablochkov's lamps appeared in the most visited places in Paris, on the street - Avenue de l'Opera and Opera Square, as well as in the Louvre store, dim gas and liquid lighting replaced frosted balls that glowed with white, soft light. The triumphal procession "La lumiere russe "(Russian world) around the world. In two years, Yablochkov's candle conquered the entire Old World, spreading in the East to the palaces of the Persian Shah and the King of Cambodia.

Rice. 1. Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov and his candle.

In 1876-77, several French patents were obtained, both for the design of the light bulb itself and for their power systems. Production was put on an industrial basis. A small factory in Paris produced over 8,000 candles a day and several dozen electric generators a month. However, this prosperity soon came to an end. The Yablochkov candle began to be gradually replaced by a cheaper and more durable incandescent lamp.

It is generally accepted that the inventor of the incandescent lamp is the famous American inventor Thomas Alva Edison (Thomas Alva Edison). On December 21, 1879, an article appeared in the New York Herald newspaper about T.A. Edison's new invention - "Edison's light" (Edison light), about an incandescent lamp with a carbon filament. A few days later, on January 1, 1880, 3,000 people attended a demonstration of electric lighting for houses and streets in Menlo Park (USA), and on January 27 of the same year, they received US patent No. 223898 "Electric-Lamp" (see Fig. 2.). But in reality, the story of this patent and the incandescent lamp is much more complicated and interesting.

Rice. 2. Thomas A. Edison patent for the electric lamp

The first experiments with heating conductors with electric current were carried out at the beginning of the 19th century by the English scientist Humphry Davy. One of the first attempts to apply the incandescence of conductors with current, precisely for the purpose of lighting, was carried out in 1844 by the engineer de Moleyn, who heated a platinum wire placed inside a glass ball. These experiments did not bring the desired results, because. platinum wire melted too quickly.

In 1845, in London, King replaced platinum with sticks of coal and received a patent for "The use of incandescent metal and carbon conductors for lighting."

In 1954, 25 years before Edison, the German watchmaker Heinrich Goebel introduced in New York the first practical incandescent lamps with carbon filaments with a burning time of about 200 hours. As a thread, he used a charred bamboo thread 0.2 mm thick, placed in a vacuum. Instead of a flask, Goebel, for reasons of economy, first used bottles of cologne, and later - glass tubes. He created a vacuum in a glass flask by filling and pouring mercury, that is, using the method used in the manufacture of barometers.

Goebel used the created lamps to illuminate his watch shop. To improve his financial situation, he traveled around New York in a wheelchair and invited everyone to look at the stars through a telescope. The carriage, at the same time, was decorated with his light bulbs. Thus, Goebel became the first person to use light for advertising purposes. Due to lack of money and connections, the German emigrant was unable to obtain a patent for his carbon filament lamp and his invention was quickly forgotten.

Since 1872, Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin began experiments in electric lighting in St. Petersburg. In his first lamps, a thin stick of coal was sandwiched between massive copper rods located in a hermetically sealed glass bowl. Despite the imperfection of the lamp in the same year, the banker Kozlov, in partnership with Lodygin, founded a society to exploit this invention. The Academy of Sciences awarded Lodygin the Lomonosov Prize of 1,000 rubles.

The incandescent lamps with a carbon rod built by Lodygin in 1874 were used to illuminate the St. Petersburg Admiralty. In 1875, Kohn became the head of the partnership, releasing under his own name an improved Lodygin lamp designed by V.F. Didrikhson. In this lamp, the coals were placed in a vacuum, and the burned-out coal was automatically replaced by another. In 1875, Floran's linen store in St. Petersburg was illuminated by three such lamps for two months, and, at the suggestion of P. Struve, caissons were illuminated under water during the construction of the Alexander Bridge across the Neva.

In 1875, Didrichson began to make coals from wood by charring wooden cylinders without air in graphite crucibles covered with coal powder. In 1876, after Cohn's death, the partnership broke up. Further improvement of the lamp was made by N.P. Bulygin in 1876. In his lamp, the end of a long piece of coal glowed, which automatically advanced as its end burned. The design of the lamps turned out to be difficult and low-tech to manufacture, and therefore not cheap, although it was constantly being improved.

At the end of the 70s of the same century, ships for Russia were built at one of the North American shipyards, and when the time came to receive them, Lieutenant of the Russian fleet A.N. Khotinsky went there. He took with him several Lodygin incandescent lamps. The invention was already patented in France, Russia, Belgium, Austria and Great Britain. He showed Russian lamps to an inventor named Thomas Edison, who at the time was also working on the problem of electric lighting.

Now it is difficult to establish how much the described circumstance influenced Edison's invention. However, in the end, thanks to his work, a qualitative leap was made in the improvement of the incandescent lamp. Edison did not make any revolutionary changes to Lodygin's light bulb. His lamp was a glass flask with a carbon filament, from which air was pumped out, however, much more thoroughly than Lodygin's. But the merit of Edison, first of all, is that he invented and created a super-system for this lamp and put its production on stream, which led to a strong reduction in cost. He invented a screw base for a lamp and a cartridge for it, invented fuses, switches, and the first energy meter. It was with the Edison light bulb that electric lighting became really massive, coming into the homes of ordinary people.

Edison's approach to solving the problem of finding material for the filament deserves special attention. He simply went by sorting through all the substances and materials available to him (trial and error method). Edison tried 6,000 substances containing carbon, from ordinary charcoal-coated sewing thread to food and resin. The best was bamboo, from which the case of the Japanese palm fan was made. This titanic work took about two years.

On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, in England, at about the same time as Lodygin and Edison, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan worked on an electric light bulb. He used a charred cotton thread as a heating element and also pumped air out of the flask. Swann received a British patent for his device in 1878, about a year before Edison. Beginning in 1879, he began installing electric lamps in English homes. Having organized in 1881 the company "The Swan Electric Light Company" began the commercial production of lamps. Swan later teamed up with Edison to commercialize the single brand name "Edi-Swan".

From what has been said, it follows that the electric incandescent lamp at a very early stage had several inventors. Almost all of them had patents. As for the most famous of them, Edison's American patent, it was declared invalid by the court before the expiration of the protection rights. The court found that the incandescent light bulb had been invented by Heinrich Goebel several decades before Edison.

In 1890, Lodygin patented in the USA a lamp with a metal thread made of refractory metals - octium, iridium, rhodium, molybdenum and tungsten. Lodygin's lamps with molybdenum filament were exhibited at the Paris exhibition of 1900 and were such a great success that in 1906 the American company "General Electric" bought this patent from him. The most interesting thing is that the General Electric company was organized by Thomas Edison himself. On this, the correspondence dispute of the great inventors was over.

However, the improvement of the incandescent lamp did not end there. Since 1909, incandescent lamps with a zigzag tungsten filament began to be used, and in 1912-13 lamps filled with nitrogen and inert gases (Ar, Kr) appeared. And finally, the last improvement of the beginning of the 20th century - tungsten filament began to be made, first, in the form of a spiral, and then in the form of a bispiral (a spiral wound from a spiral) and a trispiral. The electric incandescent lamp has finally acquired the form that we are used to seeing.

So who invented the electric light bulb? The names have already been named: Petrov, Shpakovsky, Chikolev, Yablochkov, Edison, Devi, King, Gebel, Lodygin, Swan. It would seem enough. But if you take the "Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron" released at the beginning of the 20th century, then you can read there: Incandescent bulbs are a glass cap from which air is pumped out, and where a carbon or metal filament is placed, heated by an electric current. Carbon thread is obtained by charring bamboo fibers (Edison bulbs), silk, cotton paper (Swan bulbs). From the end of the 1890s. new incandescent bulbs appeared: instead of a carbon filament, a rod pressed from fire-resistant substances is subjected to incandescence: oxides of magnesium, thorium, zirconium and yttrium (Nernst light bulb) or a thread of metal osmium (Auer light bulbs) and tantalum (Bolton and Feuerlein light bulbs).

As you can see, new names appeared - Nernst, Auer, Bolton, Feuerlein. If desired, by conducting a more in-depth search, this list can be further replenished.

It is probably pointless to look for an unambiguous answer to the question "Who invented the electric light bulb". Many inventors have applied their mind, knowledge, labor and talent to this. And this applies only to the types of light bulbs that were developed at the initial stage of the introduction of electric lighting: arc and incandescent.

Even at the very beginning of the development of incandescent lamps, it was noticed that they have a low efficiency, i.e. a very small percentage of the energy of the electric current is converted into light energy. Therefore, the search for other ways of converting electrical energy into light energy continued, and attempts were made to use them in new types of electrical light sources. Such light sources are gas-discharge lamps - devices in which electrical energy is converted into optical radiation when an electric current passes through gases and other substances (for example, mercury).

The first experiments with gas-discharge lamps began almost simultaneously with incandescent lamps. In 1860, the first mercury discharge lamps appeared in England. However, until the beginning of the 20th century, all these experiments were few and remained only experiments, without real practical application.

In the first decade of the 20th century, during the period of mass introduction of electric lighting using incandescent lamps, work on gas-discharge lamps was intensified, which led to a number of inventions and discoveries. In 1901, Peter Cooper Hewitt invents the low pressure mercury lamp. In 1906, the high-pressure mercury lamp was invented. 1910 - discovery of the halogen cycle. The neon lamp was developed by the French physicist Georges Claude in 1911 and quickly found its way into advertising.

In the 1920s and 1940s, work on gas-discharge lamps continued in many countries, which led to the improvement of already known types of lamps and the discovery of new ones. Were developed: low pressure sodium lamp, fluorescent lamp, xenon lamp and others. In the 40s, the mass use of fluorescent lamps for lighting began.

Later, other types of electric lamps were invented: high-pressure sodium; halogen; compact fluorescent; LED light sources and others. Now in the world the total number of types of light sources is about 2000.

Despite such a huge number of types of electric lamps, inventive thought does not stand still. Already known light sources continue to improve. An example of such improvement is the creation in 1983 of compact fluorescent lamps, which became the size of an ordinary incandescent lamp. To turn them on, no special starting equipment is required, they are connected to a standard cartridge for incandescent lamps, and most importantly, with the same amount of light produced, these lamps consume several times less electricity and last several times longer. In recent years, such energy-saving light bulbs have been increasingly used, despite their still higher cost than traditional incandescent lamps.

However, the inventive idea does not stop there. Almost simultaneously, two American firms, Technical Consumer Products (TCP) and O·ZONELite, launched fluorescent energy-saving light bulbs with unexpected new properties. These manufacturers claim that their Fresh2 and O·ZONELite bulbs (both registered trademarks) in addition to lighting the room also eliminate unpleasant odors, purify the air, kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. Isn't it a miracle?

The secret is that the light bulbs are coated with titanium dioxide (TiO2), which, when irradiated with fluorescent light, causes a photocatalytic reaction. During this reaction, negatively charged particles - electrons - are released, and positively charged "holes" remain in their place. Due to the combination of pluses and minuses on the surface of the light bulb, the water molecules contained in the air turn into very strong oxidizing agents - hydroxide (HO) radicals, which is why these light bulbs have such unusual and wonderful properties.

Rice. 3. Gas-discharge fluorescent energy-saving lamps Fresh2 and O.ZONELite

As can be seen from Figure 3, these bulbs are even outwardly very similar, and their characteristics are approximately the same. The spiral shape of both lamps is noteworthy. Their creators did this to increase light output, just like their predecessors - the creators of incandescent lamps. Indeed, history moves in a spiral.

It can be concluded that gas-discharge lamps in recent years are gaining more and more popularity even in domestic lighting, replacing incandescent lamps. They consume less energy, are just as easy to operate, and can have a whole host of other great and useful features. The higher price, which still holds back the spread of these lamps, is offset by 8-10 times the service life and 3-5 times the efficiency. And with more mass production, the price will gradually decrease. And if you take into account the ever-increasing energy and environmental problems that cause an increase in the cost of electricity and forcing the introduction of austerity measures, it becomes clear that the prospects for compact fluorescent lamps are very bright. And in the coming years, they have practically no alternative.

But, nothing stands still. Although the last 100 years in the development of lighting technology have passed under the triumphant march of discharge lamps, other types of light sources have appeared. The most promising now seems to be the direction associated with the use of LED light sources, because. they are even more efficient than gas discharge lamps.

The first industrial LEDs appeared in the 1960s. However, low power did not allow them to be used for lighting. They have found application as indicators in various electronic devices, in particular, in microcalculators, watches and other household and scientific instruments.

This would have continued if humanity had not faced the problem of energy conservation. It turned out that to date, LEDs have the highest percentage of conversion of electrical energy into light energy. It was impossible not to try to use LEDs as light sources. They found, initially, application in hand-held electric flashlights. In addition, these were flashlights of low power, which did not shine very much, but were miniature, which made it possible to use them even as key chains.

Of course, there are still many problems with LED bulbs. Many of them are being successfully solved, especially since now large capital is investing a lot of money in this direction. And success is already evident - energy-saving LED lamps have already appeared on sale.

Literature

* 1. N.A. Kaptsov, Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov 1894-1944. OGIZ. State publishing house of technical and theoretical literature. Moscow, Leningrad, 1944.

* 2. V. Malov, How a Parisian waiter helped a Russian inventor. / Sputnik UT - popular science digest / №4, 2001 / http://jtdigest.narod.ru/dig4_01/offic.htm

* 3. Ya.I. Khurgin, Yes, no, maybe ... - Moscow, Nauka, 1977, p.208

* 4. History of lighting technology. / 2003-2005 CJSC NPK "Daleks" / http://www.daleks.ru

* 5. Fresh2 compact fluorescent light bulbs remove odor while emitting energy efficient light./ http://www.fresh2.com/

* 6. The Bright Future of Indoor Air Quality! /http://www.ozonelite.com/index.html

It is impossible to answer the question of who invented the electric light bulb. Residents of the United States will certainly answer that Edison, Great Britain - that Swann, and the Russians will name the names of Lodygin and Yablochkov.

So who invented this thing first, let's see below.

Light bulbs and features of their work

A light bulb is a lighting device in which electrical energy is converted into light. But there are several ways to convert, depending on this, the bulbs are of the following types:

gas-discharge;
incandescent;
arc.

After the inventors of the 18th century discovered electric current, a wave of all kinds of inventions began, which were inextricably linked with this phenomenon. The following famous scientists worked on the development of electrical engineering:

At the beginning of the 19th century, a galvanic cell was invented, acting as a chemical current source. At the same time, the Russian scientist Petrov discovered an electric arc - this is a discharge that appears between carbon rods-electrodes, reduced to a certain distance. Such an arc proposed to use for lighting. However, it was difficult to implement this in practice at that time, since the arc could burn brightly only if a certain distance between the electrodes was observed, and the carbon electrodes burn out slowly and the arc gap increased. Therefore, in order to maintain a constant distance between the electrodes, a special regulator was needed.

The inventors of that time offered their ideas, but they were all imperfect, since several lamps could not be included in one circuit at once. But this was solved by the inventor Shpakovsky, who invented an installation with arc lamps, equipped with regulators, which in the middle of the 19th century could illuminate Red Square in Moscow.

Yablochkov as the first inventor of the light bulb

In the second half of the 19th century, the inventor Pavel Yablochkov started developing the arc lamp. He is little known in Russia, since he presented his works in France, where he worked in the famous Breguet watchmaking workshop.

When Yablochkov was working on the development of an electric regulator, it occurred to him to place carbon electrodes in the lamp not horizontally, as before, but parallel. In this case, they began to burn out equally, and the distance between them was constantly maintained.

But the solution was still far from being implemented. With electrodes placed in parallel, the arc could burn not only at their ends, but also along the entire length. This problem was solved due to the fact that an insulator was laid in the space between the electrodes, which gradually burned out together with the electrodes.

The insulator was made on the basis of kaolin. And to ignite the electric lamp between the electrodes, there was a thin carbon jumper, which, at the moment of switching on, burned out, and the arc was ignited at the same time. But also there was one problem- this is an uneven combustion of the electrodes, which was associated with the polarity of the current. Since the positive electrode burned out faster, it had to be made thicker at first. It was also proposed to use alternating current.

The arc lamp of one of its first inventors had the following design:

Yablochkov's invention was presented in London at an exhibition in 1876. Then the light bulbs of this inventor became appear on the streets of Paris then they spread around the world. This continued until other inventors introduced a cheaper incandescent light bulb, which quickly supplanted Yablochkov's invention.

Who first invented the incandescent light bulb?

So, who was the first to come up with such a device as an incandescent light bulb, which many people still use today?

It is believed that the first inventor of such a lamp is Thomas Edison. In 1879, an article appeared in a major American publication that it was he who invented the incandescent light bulb, and a corresponding patent for this invention was also received.

But was Edison the first? In fact, experiments with the incandescence of conductors using electric current were carried out at the beginning of the 19th century by the British scientist Devi. And in the middle of the century Moleyn engineer he was the first to practice the incandescence of conductors using current for illumination by incandescent platinum wire inside a glass ball. But such an experiment ended in failure, since the platinum wire quickly melted down.

In 1845, the London scientist King received a patent for having invented a new method of using incandescent carbon and metal conductors for the purpose of lighting, he replaced platinum with carbon sticks.

The first practical incandescent lamps with carbon filaments were invented by Heinrich Goebel in Germany 25 years before Edison's famous invention. The features of their work were as follows:

the burning time was about 200 hours;
the thread was made of bamboo and had a thickness of 0.2, was in a vacuum;
instead of a flask, perfume bottles were first used, and then glass tubes;
vacuum in a glass flask was created by filling and pouring mercury.

Although Goebel was one of the first to invent the incandescent light bulb, he was quickly forgotten as he never received a patent for his invention.

Lodygin - the inventor of an improved lamp

Inventor Alexander Lodygin began to conduct his experiments on electric lighting from the 70s of the XIX century in St. Petersburg. The first light bulbs invented by him were equipped with large copper rods that were located in a hermetically sealed glass bowl, between them a thin coal stick was clamped. The light bulb was far from perfect, it was put into mass production, and the Academy of Sciences awarded Lodygin a prize for this invention.

A little later, the electric light bulb was improved by Didrichson. In it, the coals were in a vacuum, and the burned-out coals were quickly replaced by others. They began to be used to illuminate streets and shops. Then she underwent a few more changes.

In the late 70s, samples of such electric incandescent lamps were brought to the United States by representatives of the navy, before that they were patented in countries other than Russia:

Austria;
Belgium;
France;
Great Britain.

So was Edison the first?

In the United States at that time, the inventor Thomas Edison worked, who handled issues electric lighting. He saw samples brought from Russia, and he was very interested in them.

How did Edison's invention differ from Lodygin's light bulbs:

like Lodygin's invention, Edison's lamp was in the form of a glass bulb with a carbon thread from which the air was pumped out, but it was more carefully thought out;
the lamp is additionally equipped with a base and cartridge;
there were switches and a fuse;
the first energy meter appeared.

Edison finalized Lodygin's invention and put the production of light bulbs on stream, turning electric lighting from a luxury into a mass phenomenon.

Also, Edison was attentive to the issue of finding material for filaments. He just went through everything possible substances and materials, in total, he tried about 6 thousand substances with a carbon content: these are sewing threads with coal, and resin, and even food products. Bamboo turned out to be the most suitable option.

At the same time, Joseph Swan was working on the invention of the electric lamp in Great Britain. A charred cotton thread was used for the heating element, air was pumped out of the flask. In the 80s of the XIX century, Swan founded his company, and the production of light bulbs was put on stream. He then merged production with Edison, and the Edi-Swan brand name was born.

And Lodygin himself, already in the USA, where he moved from Russia, patented in the 90s a light bulb with a metal thread based on refractory materials:

tungsten;
iridium;
octopus;
rhodium;
molybdenum.

The light bulbs that Lodygin invented were successfully presented at the Paris exhibition of 1900, and already in 1906 the patent was acquired by the American company General Electric. This company was organized by Thomas Edison.

At this stage, the development of the invention did not stop. Already in 1909, incandescent light bulbs were invented, equipped with tungsten filament arranged in a zigzag pattern. A few years later invented light bulbs with nitrogen and inert gases. The tungsten filament was first made in the form of a spiral, and then bi- and tri-spirals. As a result, a modern type of incandescent electric light bulb was acquired.

At an early stage, the electric lamp had several inventors at once, and almost every one of them had a patent for your invention. As for the patent obtained by Thomas Edison, the court invalidated it until the term of the protection rights expires. According to the court decision, it was recognized that the first incandescent lamp was invented by Heinrich Goebel long before Edison.

No one can answer who invented the light bulb among the first. Each of those who worked on this contributed to the common cause. And this only applies those types of lamps, which appeared at the very beginning of the development of electric lighting. And to list all those who further worked on the development of lighting electrical appliances will simply be impossible within the framework of one article.

It is difficult for a modern person to imagine that just a little over a hundred years ago, light bulbs in our everyday life took their first steps.

The list of inventors of most modern devices, as a rule, is limited to one or two persons (it often happens that two talented inventors come to the realization of the same idea with a small time gap from each other). But there are some very interesting exceptions to this rule. For example, an incandescent lamp. It is rather difficult to believe that not one, not two, or even three, but thirteen scientists invented a simple light bulb. But it really is. And the reason for this is simple: the fact is that the first patented incandescent lamp, and the lamp that we use today, share exactly 100 years of constant improvements, which were carried out by a variety of inventors from around the world.

And each of them made a contribution to the history of the invention of a simple household light bulb. So, unambiguously answering the question: who invented the light bulb, alas, will not work.

The transformation of electrical energy into light energy began with the experiments of the scientist Vasily Petrov, who observed the phenomenon of a voltaic arc in 1803. In 1810, the English physicist Devi made the same discovery. Both of them obtained a voltaic arc, using a large battery of cells, between the ends of charcoal rods.

Both of them wrote that the voltaic arc can be used for lighting purposes. But first it was necessary to find a more suitable material for the electrodes, since the charcoal rods burned out in a few minutes and were of little use for practical use.

In the 19th century, two types of electric lamps became widespread: incandescent and arc lamps. Arc light bulbs appeared a little earlier. Their glow is based on such an interesting phenomenon as the voltaic arc. If you take two wires, connect them to a sufficiently strong current source, connect them, and then push them a few millimeters apart, then something like a flame with a bright light is formed between the ends of the conductors. The phenomenon will be more beautiful and brighter if two pointed carbon rods are used instead of metal wires.

Delarue, an Englishman, created the first incandescent light bulb with a platinum filament in 1809. Foucault, a French physicist, designed the first manually adjustable arc lamp in 1844. He replaced charcoal with hard coke sticks. In 1848, he first used an arc lamp to illuminate one of the Parisian squares.

In 1875, Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov proposed a reliable and simple solution for arc lamps. He arranged the carbon electrodes in parallel, separating them with an insulating layer. The invention was a huge success. In 1877, with their help, street electricity was first installed on the Avenue de L`Opera in Paris. The World Exhibition, which opened the following year, gave many electrical engineers the opportunity to get acquainted with this wonderful invention. Under the name "Russian Light", Yablochkov's candles were later used for street lighting in many cities around the world.

In 1874, engineer Alexander Lodygin patented a "filament lamp". A carbon rod was used as a filament, again placed in a vessel with a vacuum. In 1890, Lodygin came up with the idea of replacing the carbon filament with refractory tungsten wire, which had an incandescent temperature of 3385 degrees. In 1906, Lodygin sold a patent for a tungsten filament to General Electric. Due to the high cost of tungsten, the invention finds limited application.

The first cases of using electricity in Ukraine for lighting needs have been known since the 70s of the century before last.

In 1878, engineer A.P. Borodin equipped the turning shop of the Kiev railway workshops with four electric arc lamps. Each lantern had its own electromagnetic Gram machine. Lanterns were arranged in two rows in a checkerboard pattern. Coals are designed for 3 hours of work.

In 1886, electric lighting was installed in the Chateau de Fleur park in Kyiv. In 1996, the first public power station began operating in the same city.

A real revolution in the creation of light bulbs was made by the experiments of the American inventor Edison. Before starting the experiments, he studied the entire experience of gas holder companies in lighting cities and premises. He drew up on paper detailed diagrams of the power plant and communication lines to houses and factories. I calculated the cost of all materials and calculated that the price of a light bulb for a consumer should not exceed 40 cents.

Since 1878, he has been conducting more than 12 thousand experiments in his laboratory. It is estimated that his assistants tested at least 6,000 different substances and compounds, while over 100 thousand dollars were spent on experiments.

At first, Edison replaced the brittle ember with a more durable one made from coal, then he began to make experiments with various metals, and finally settled on a thread of charred bamboo fibers. In 1879, in the presence of three thousand people, Edison publicly demonstrated his electric light bulbs, illuminating his house, laboratory and several adjacent streets with them.

It was the first long life light bulb suitable for mass production.

Edison's merit is not that he "invented" the light bulb, but that he gave rise to the industrial production of lamps and its components: cables, two-phase generators (invented by Edison), electric meters. The cartridge and base, as well as many other elements of electric lighting that have survived unchanged to this day - switches, fuses, electric meters and much more - were also invented by Edison.
In business, after finishing work on inventions, he remained on principle: he promised to bring the selling price to 40 cents. Sold his company to the Edison General Electric Company when the price of the lamp reached 22 cents.

Payment for electricity was charged for 1 hour of lamp burning. Price didn't stop increase in the number of consumers. Urban homeowners willingly provided electric lighting.

The average life of an Edison light bulb was 800-1000 hours of continuous burning. For almost thirty years, light bulbs have been made in the way that Edison developed, but the future was with light bulbs with a metal filament.

The beginning of the 20th century is the first attempts to put the production of light bulbs with tungsten filaments on stream, to establish their mass production. Alas, this became possible only in 1906 thanks to the efforts of Alexander Lodygin and William Coolidge, who worked hard on affordable methods for obtaining a tungsten filament. In 1910, William Coolidge invents an improved method for the production of tungsten filament. Subsequently, the tungsten filament displaces all other types of filaments.

The last step in the improvement of the light bulb was the use of noble inert gases (particularly argon) to fill the cavity of the lamp. Thanks to this innovation, proposed by Irving Langmuir, modern light bulbs are not only bright, but also durable.

Now modern science is making such a simple and indispensable invention as a light bulb even simpler and more efficient, but the names of those who worked on its creation in the past are already written in golden letters in the history of world science.

Humanity has been trying to safely illuminate its home since it got fire into its own hands. Initially, these were fires in a cave, then torches and other fire hazardous objects. With the development of mankind and technology, the methods of lighting have changed and improved.

We will not conduct deep excursions into history, and find out the entire evolution of lighting devices: more than one book can be written on this topic. We will take into consideration one of the most, perhaps, interesting questions - who and when invented or invented the modern incandescent electric light bulb.

A bit of history

This question, asked in different countries, you can get a completely different answer. The Americans, with their inherent self-confidence, will prove that this is the inventor of the first incandescent lamp - their countryman Edison, who received a patent for his invention in 1880. The French will call 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 knowledge of the person in this matter.

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

With the invention of electricity (discovery of the 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 emerged as 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 by the Italian Volt of a chemical energy source - a galvanic cell. Thus, one invention gave rise to other discoveries, which, in turn, gave rise to new ideas and experiments.

By the middle of the 19th century, many scientists and inventors were conducting experiments to obtain a stable and durable glow. A variety of ideas led to the fact that three areas of development were distinguished. Some scientists tried to improve the electric arc lamp, others struggled with the 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 research was conducted and various experiments were carried out. However, all researchers faced the same problem: a bright and stable arc is formed between the electrodes at a certain distance between them. Most of the experiments were carried out using carbon electrodes, which quickly burned out and the arc distance was constantly changing.

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

13 years later, in 1869, Chikolev invented and successfully tested a differential regulator for arc lamps. This invention (in an improved form) is successfully used in high-power installations today. An example is in sea searchlights and lighthouses.

Breakthrough Yablochkov

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

As is often the case with great inventions, chance helped. Being in an extreme degree of thoughtfulness over the solution of this problem, Yablochkov made an order to the waiter and looked thoughtfully as he arranged the plates and cutlery. Imagine the surprise of the waiter when the respectable gentleman suddenly jumped up and, muttering something under his breath, ran out of the cafe. Perhaps he never found out that he unwittingly became a co-author of a revolutionary solution that moved the invention of an efficient light bulb off the ground.

The fact is that until that time, all researchers placed the electrodes in the flask horizontally, which led to uneven formation of the arc between them. When looking at the parallel cutlery, it dawned on Yablochkov: this is 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, it was still very far from the final solution of the problem, but the main thing was accomplished: a new impetus to inventive thought was received and the barrier of many years of marking time was broken.

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

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

Also, during these two years, the necessary patents were obtained so that the production of Yablochkov candles began in France, which in Europe were called "Russian Light". The production of electric generators was also launched, which fed the first mass-produced light bulb.

Incandescent lamps

Almost in parallel with this, inventions and research with incandescent lamps were moving forward. Edison gained worldwide fame: it is believed that it was he who invented the first lamp, working on the principle of an incandescent filament. All of this is both true and somewhat 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 ahead.

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 purpose of applying this technique for lighting was set in 1844 by the inventor de Molain. For incandescence, he used a platinum wire, which he placed inside a glass flask. However, such a wire quickly melted. In 1845, the English scientist King proposed replacing platinum with carbon rods.

The first light bulb, suitable for lighting and working for about 200 hours, was presented to the public by G. Goebel. For incandescent electric current, a bamboo thread was installed in a vacuum lamp. You may be asking, how did you manage to get a vacuum at that time? In fact, everything is simple. Goebel used the principle used for barometers: he poured mercury into a flask, and after pouring it, a vacuum is formed in it. But due to the lack of money for a patent, this quite successful experiment was soon forgotten.

After that, the great scientist A. Lodygin began his experiments in the field of electric lighting in St. Petersburg. The experiments began in 1872, and ended in 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 - 1 thousand rubles.

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

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, 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, T. Edison was working on the creation of sustainable lighting from electricity in America. In 1878, Khotinsky came to North America on official business, who 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 that, 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 cartridge for the lamp. So the first commercially produced electric lamp was indeed invented by Thomas Edison.

Around the same time, J. Swan worked on a similar invention in England. As a filament, he used a cotton filament that glowed in a flask with a vacuum. After receiving a patent in 1878, Swann lamps began to be installed in the houses of London. The development of production prompted the English inventor to create a large company for the production of incandescent lamps. Later, both of the first 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 rather inefficient. That is, they had low efficiency and served for a very short time. Attempts to improve their inventions were made by all developers and inventors.

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 a filament, and at the Paris Exhibition of 1900, he presented improved lamps to the general public.

An interesting fact of the whole 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. It is not the fact of the purchase that is interesting, 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 mass-produced electric light bulbs have been constantly improved, made more efficient and more durable. So, in 1909, the decision was finally made to use a tungsten filament. Also since that time, it began to be placed in a zigzag pattern on several insulating rods.

With the development of technology and the receipt of new discoveries, nitrogen was first pumped into the bulbs of already sealed lamps, then an inert gas. 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 with a spiral of the same material. This reduced the number of filament burnouts and increased the service life. Subsequently, with the development of technical potential, the spiral was improved: first, a double-spiral appeared, and then a tri-spiral.

Summing up

As you can see, many prominent 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 us to quickly share our achievements with the general public. Sometimes it took years for a new invention or discovery to become known to the whole world.

Modern people can no longer imagine their lives without the bright light emitted by electric bulbs.

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 give light at night. The first known "light bulbs" that were used for lighting ran on fat. For this purpose, any vegetable oil or animal fat was used. Fat was poured into an earthen vessel, a cloth wick was dipped into it, and it was set on fire.

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

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

Invention history

With the widespread introduction of electricity in various sectors of the economy and life, the first lighting devices began to appear. The electric 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 an arc discharge. It is expressed in the appearance of an electric 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 able to shine 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 often moved towards each other, as they quickly burned out. In addition, the product periodically emitted flicker.

In 1844, Foucault invented a construction with hard coke conductors. Such a light bulb began to be used for street lighting. However, a high-power battery required large material costs, so its use was short-lived. A little later, a clockwork device was created that automatically brings the electrodes closer after a certain time as they burn. However, such lamps did not find wide application; at that time, scientists were engaged in the invention of a more attractive light source.

Not all people know who actually invented the electric 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 carried out experiments during which filaments were placed in different types of media. They sought to create a light bulb that could be used to illuminate residential areas. For this, the effect of incandescence of various materials was studied, a current was passed through them, they warmed up and gave a glow. It was important for the inventors not to allow the conductors to overheat, melt or burn, and also to find a balance between the filament and the environment in which it is 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, as it quickly burned out due to the presence of oxygen in the flask. Then they began to use conductors made of charred bamboo in the device, and oxygen was pumped out of the flask. This is the first lamp of a modern design, but it is not yet perfect.

Toward the end of the 18th century, scientists invented the 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 took up the revision of already 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:

Date in years	Incandescent lamp development event
1803	Petrov from Russia obtained a voltaic arc using a powerful battery.
1808	G. Davy (England) also used an arc discharge for lighting, but not for long.
1838	Jobar from Belgium invented the lamp, which was equipped with carbon rods.
1840	The English astronomer Delarue presented his invention in the form of a lamp with platinum conductors.
1841	Thanks to the efforts of F. Moleyn from England, devices with platinum rods and carbon filler appeared.
1845	King replaced the platinum conductors with carbon electrodes.
1854	G. Goebel invented a prototype of a modern light bulb with a charred bamboo filament.
1860	D. Swan (England) presented a light bulb, where carbon paper was used as conductors.
1874	A. Lodygin received the right to a lighting device with carbon electrodes.
1875	Didrichson started optimizing Lodygin's light bulb.
1875 – 1876	P. Yablochkov invented a kaolin light bulb.
1878	D. Swan patented a device with a carbon thread.
1879	T. Edison received the rights to a lamp with platinum electrodes.
1890	Lodygin patented a device with a molybdenum and tungsten spiral.
1904	S. Yust, F. Hanaman secured the rights to a light bulb with a tungsten spiral (similar to Lodygin's light bulb).
1906	W. Coolidge proposed to produce light bulbs with tungsten conductors in the form of a zigzag, double or triple helix.

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 was the world's first light bulb, where the filament is presented in the form of a spiral. The device emitted a bright glow and could be used at almost any temperature. However, its production cost was high and its service life was short, so it was not popular.

In 1854, G. Goebel designed the first prototype of an incandescent lamp. This is a device with a vacuum flask and a charred bamboo incandescent element. Instead of a flask, perfume bottles were used. The vacuum environment was created by adding and pouring mercury. This device was fragile, short-lived, but already 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 prolong the life of the light bulb, the inventor suggested pumping air out of 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 made according to the patent of A. Lodygin. In addition, the scientist invented coal lighting devices, the flask of which is filled with nitrogen.

A little later, Lodygin's light bulb was improved by V. Didrichson, who installed several successively burning filaments in the flask.