Lamps: History of Home Lighting

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