Origins
Artificial lighting had evolved through candles, oil lamps, and gas lighting by the nineteenth century. Gas illumination transformed urban night life but required extensive pipe networks and posed fire and explosion risks. Arc lighting, demonstrated in the 1870s, proved too bright and harsh for indoor use. The incandescent lamp—a sealed glass bulb containing a heated filament—promised safe, convenient electric light if a practical filament could be found.
Thomas Edison approached the problem systematically. At his Menlo Park laboratory, teams tested thousands of materials for filaments, eventually succeeding with carbonized bamboo in 1879. Edison’s genius lay not just in the bulb but in conceiving the entire system: generators, distribution wiring, switches, meters, and the bulb itself, all designed to work together. His Pearl Street Station in lower Manhattan (1882) was the first central power station, lighting 85 customers.
Joseph Swan in England developed a practical incandescent lamp simultaneously. The two inventors eventually merged their companies. But Edison’s systematic approach—treating the light bulb as one component of an electrical system—proved more influential than any single invention.
Structure & Function
The electric lighting system required creating an entirely new infrastructure. Central stations generated electricity; distribution networks carried it to customers; wiring within buildings connected fixtures; and bulbs converted electricity to light. Edison designed the system to compete with gas lighting at comparable prices, establishing electrical standards still used today.
The shift from gas to electric lighting occurred over decades. Initially electricity lit commercial spaces, factories, and wealthy homes. As costs fell and networks expanded, electricity reached ordinary households. By the 1920s, electric lighting was standard in urban America; rural electrification extended the network through the 1930s and 1940s.
Historical Significance
Electric lighting extended productive hours and transformed urban life. Factories could operate around the clock; stores could stay open after dark; nightlife flourished in electrically lit entertainment districts. The electric light enabled new industries—from cinema (which required consistent lighting for projection) to refrigeration (electrical appliances spawned by the electrical industry).
The electrical industry Edison created became one of the largest sectors of the economy. General Electric and Westinghouse grew from lighting companies into electrical conglomerates manufacturing everything from generators to kitchen appliances. The regulated utility model, with franchised monopolies providing electric service to defined territories, emerged from Edison’s pioneering business experiments.
Key Developments
- 1879: Edison demonstrates practical incandescent lamp
- 1882: Pearl Street Station opens in New York
- 1886: Westinghouse develops alternating current systems
- 1893: Chicago World’s Fair demonstrates electric lighting
- 1896: Niagara Falls hydroelectric plant transmits power to Buffalo
- 1935: Rural Electrification Administration established
- 1950s: Fluorescent lighting becomes common