| Lamps have been used to spread light since | | | | lighting a lamp till the late 18th century. |
| old ages, even before electricity was | | | | |
| invented, and lighting was given a new | | | | Around 1859, the first drilling process was |
| meaning. The use of lamps can be broadly | | | | initiated to find petroleum and with the |
| classified into two eras: The pre-electrical | | | | advent of kerosene, which is a derivative of |
| era and the post electrical era. | | | | petroleum, lamp became more popular and usage |
| | | | increased. Kerosene enabled lighting was |
| The Pre-electrical Era | | | | first introduced in Germany in 1853. |
| | | | |
| The invention and first usage of lamp can be | | | | During the same time two other products were |
| dated back to 70,000 BC. At that time, there | | | | used for lamp lighting purposes and they were |
| was no metal or bronze to make lamps instead | | | | natural gas and coal. The first use of coal |
| the then civilization used hollow rocks and | | | | gas lamps was in 1784. |
| shells. These hollow rocks were filled with | | | | |
| moss and other natural substances and then | | | | Electrical Lighting Lamps: |
| soaked in animal fat. Animal fat acted as oil | | | | |
| and this is how the first lamps were ignited. | | | | Lamps have actually come a long way from |
| | | | usage of coal gas to electricity. In 1801, |
| With the advent of pottery, and the bronze | | | | Sir Humphrey Davy of England invented the |
| and copper age, humans started to make lamps | | | | electric carbon arc lamp, which was the first |
| that imitated other natural shapes. Wicks | | | | of its kind. The working principle for this |
| came into existence much later and were used | | | | lamp was simple and included hooking of two |
| for controlling the flame or the rate of | | | | carbon rods to an electrical source. |
| burning. In the 7th century BC, Greeks | | | | |
| started using terra cotta lamps, which | | | | The carbon rods were kept at a distance from |
| replaced the handheld torches. The word lamp | | | | each other so that electrical current could |
| has been derived from the Greek word lampas, | | | | flow through the arc and thus vaporize carbon |
| which means torch. | | | | to create white lighting. Around 1857, A.E. |
| | | | Becquerel of France came out with the theory |
| Lamps and the Design Change: | | | | of fluorescent lighting in lamps. In the |
| | | | 1870s, the unthinkable happened with Thomas |
| There was a major change in the design of | | | | Edison inventing the first electric |
| lamps in the 18th century, when the central | | | | incandescent lamp. Since then incandescent |
| burner was invented. With the invention of | | | | lamps were used for lighting purposes in |
| the burner, a separate fuel source was made | | | | homes till about the early 20th century. |
| from metal. Another small change made was the | | | | |
| addition of a metal tube that could be | | | | In 1901, Peter Cooper Hewitt patented his new |
| adjusted to control the intensity of the | | | | invention, the mercury vapor lamp. This was |
| flame or light. | | | | another type of arc lamp that enhanced |
| | | | lighting using mercury vapors, which were |
| This was an important discovery in terms of | | | | enclosed in a glass bulb. The Mercury vapor |
| lighting because with adjustment, humans were | | | | lamps set the prototype for fluorescent |
| able to diminish the lighting or make it | | | | lighting lamps. |
| bright as required. Another aspect was added | | | | |
| to the new lamp, which was in the form of | | | | The Neon lamp was invented by Georges Claude |
| small glass chimneys. The role of the glass | | | | of France in 1911 followed by Irving |
| chimney was to protect the flame as well as | | | | Langmuir, an American who invented the |
| control the air flow. | | | | electric gas-filled incandescent lamp in |
| | | | 1915. In 1927, Hans Spanner, Friedrich Meyer, |
| Swiss chemist Ami Argand used the hollow | | | | and Edmund Germer patented the first |
| circular wick in an oil lamp for the very | | | | fluorescent lamp. The fluorescent lamps |
| first time in 1783. | | | | provided better lighting as compared to the |
| | | | mercury vapor lamps because they were coated |
| Fuels for Lighting | | | | from inside with beryllium. |
| | | | |
| Different kinds of fuels have been used for | | | | Since then we have been using different form |
| lighting a lamp between 70,000 BC and now. | | | | of lighting in lamps, which includes Mercury |
| Most of the early forms of fuel were beeswax, | | | | vapors, incandescent lamps and even today, in |
| olive oil, animal fat, fish oil, sesame oil, | | | | some corners of the earth people still use |
| whale oil, nut oil etc. These were also among | | | | the old wick and oil lamp for lighting their |
| the most commonly used forms of fuel for | | | | homes. |