The electric incandescent lamp has long become an object without which it is difficult to imagine our lives. In the evening, when entering a house or apartment, the first thing we do is flip the switch in the hallway and within a moment a bright light flashes, dispelling the darkness around us. And at the same time, we don’t think about where such an ordinary light bulb came to us from and who invented the light bulb. The electric lamp has long become commonplace for us, but once upon a time it was akin to a real miracle.

Before the invention of electricity, people lived in twilight. With the onset of darkness, the dwellings were plunged into darkness and their inhabitants, in order to somehow disperse the darkness that frightened them, lit a fire.

To illuminate houses in different countries, lamps of various designs, torches, candles, and torches were used, and fires were lit in the open air, for example, on the road or in military camps. People treasured these light sources; they invented legends and composed songs about them.

However, the inquisitive human mind already in ancient times was looking for an alternative to all these devices. After all, they all gave little light, smoked heavily, filling the room with smoke, and besides, they could go out at any minute. Archaeologists who discovered amazing paintings inside the ancient Egyptian pyramids could not help but wonder how the ancient artists made these drawings despite the fact that natural light did not penetrate into the pyramids, and no soot was found on the walls and ceiling from torches or lamps. It is likely that the answer to this question has already been found in the city of Dendera, in the temple of the goddess Hathor. It is there that there are bas-reliefs that may depict an ancient electric lamp similar to a gas-discharge lamp.

In the 9th century AD. In the Middle East, an oil lamp was invented, which became the prototype of the kerosene lamp, but it did not become widespread and remained a rare curiosity.

Thus, until the middle of the 19th century, the most popular light sources remained oil and fat lamps, candles, lanterns and torches, and in camp conditions - the same fires as in ancient times.

The kerosene lamp, invented in the middle of the 19th century, supplanted all other sources of artificial lighting, although not for long: until the electric light bulb appeared - the most common for us, but absolutely amazing for the people of that time.

At the dawn of discovery

The operation of the first incandescent lamps was based on the principle that conductors glow when electric current is passed through them. This very property of such materials was known long before the invention of the light bulb. The problem was that for a very long time the inventors could not find a suitable material for an incandescent filament that would provide long-lasting and effective, and also inexpensive lighting.

Background to the appearance of incandescent lamps:

Who first invented the light bulb

In the 1870s, serious work began on the invention of the electric light bulb. Many prominent scientists and inventors devoted years and decades of their lives to working on this project. Lodygin, Yablochkov and Edison - these three inventors worked in parallel on the design of incandescent lamps, so that debate still continues about which of them can be considered the world's first inventor of the incandescent electric lamp.

Lamp by A. N. Lodygin

He began his experiments on the invention of the incandescent lamp in 1870 after his retirement. At the same time, the inventor was simultaneously working on several projects: creating an electric plane, a diving apparatus and a light bulb.

In 1871-1874, he conducted experiments to find the most suitable material for an incandescent coil. Having initially tried to use iron wire and failed, the inventor began experimenting with a carbon rod placed in a glass container.

In 1874, Lodygin received a patent for the incandescent lamp he invented, not only Russian, but also international, patenting his invention in many European countries and even in India and Australia.

In 1884, for political reasons, the inventor left Russia. For the next 23 years he worked alternately in France and in the USA. Even in exile, he continued to develop new designs for incandescent lamps, patenting those that used refractory metals as the material for the spiral. In 1906, Lodygin sold these patents to the General Electric Company in the USA. During his research, the inventor came to the conclusion that the best materials for incandescent filaments are tungsten and molybdenum. And the first incandescent lamps produced in the USA were made according to his design and with tungsten filament.

Yablochkov's lamp P.N.

In 1875, finding himself in Paris, he began inventing an arc lamp without a regulator. Yablochkov had begun work on this project even earlier, while living in Moscow, but failed. The capital of France became the city where he was able to achieve outstanding results.

By the beginning of the spring of 1876, the inventor completed work on the design of an electric candle, and on March 23 of the same year he received a patent for it in France. This day became significant not only in the fate of P. N. Yablochkov himself, but also a turning point for the further development of electrical and lighting engineering.

Yablochkov's candle was simpler and cheaper to operate than Lodygin's coal lamp. In addition, it did not have any springs or any mechanisms. It looked like two rods clamped in two separate terminals of a candlestick, which were separated by a kaolin partition, isolating them from each other. An arc charge was ignited at the upper ends, after which the arc flame slowly burned the coal and vaporized the insulating material, at the same time emitting a bright glow.

Later, Yablochkov tried to change the color of the lighting, for which he added salts of various metals to the insulating material for the partition.

In April 1876, the inventor demonstrated his candle at an electrical exhibition in London. The large audience was delighted with the bright bluish-white electric light that flooded the room.

The success was incredible. The scientist and his invention were written about in the foreign press. And already at the end of the 1870s, streets, shops, theaters, hippodromes, palaces and mansions were illuminated with electric candles not only in Europe, but also in the USA, Brazil, Mexico, India, Burma and Cambodia. And in Russia, the first test of Yablochkov’s electric candles took place in the fall of 1878.

It was a real triumph for the Russian inventor. After all, before his candle, there was not a single invention in the field of electrical engineering that would so quickly become popular throughout the world.

Edison lamp T.A.

He conducted his experiments with incandescent lamps in the late 1870s, that is, he worked on this project simultaneously with Lodygin and Yablochkov.

In April 1879, Edison experimentally came to the conclusion that without a vacuum, none of the incandescent lamps would work, or if they did, it would be extremely short-lived. And already in October of the same year, an American researcher completed work on a project for a carbon incandescent lamp, which is considered one of the most important inventions of the 19th century.

In 1882, together with several prominent financiers, the inventor founded the company Edison General Electric c, where they began to manufacture various electrical appliances. To win the market, Edison even went so far as to set the selling price of the lamp at 40 cents, despite the fact that its production cost 110 cents. Subsequently, the inventor suffered losses for four years, although he tried to reduce the cost of incandescent lamps. And when the cost of their production dropped to 22 cents, and the output reached a million pieces, he was able to cover all previous costs within a year, so that further production brought him only profit.

But what was Edison's innovation in inventing the incandescent lamp, other than the fact that he was the first to consider this subject as a means of making a profit? His merit lies not at all in the invention of lamps of this type, but in the fact that he was the first to create a practical and widespread system of electric lighting. And he came up with the modern, familiar shape of the lamp to all of us, as well as a screw base, socket and fuses.

Thomas Edison was distinguished by his high efficiency and always took a very responsible approach to business. So, in order to finally decide on the choice of material for the incandescent filament, he tried more than six thousand samples until he came to the conclusion that the most suitable material for this was carbonized bamboo.

Based on chronology, the inventor of the light bulb is Lodygin. It was he who invented the first lamp for lighting, and he was the first who guessed to pump out air from a glass bulb and use tungsten as an incandescent filament. Yablochkov’s “electric candle” is based on slightly different operating principles and does not require a vacuum, but for the first time, streets and premises began to be illuminated en masse with his candles. As for Edison, it was he who invented the lamp of modern forms, as well as the base, socket and fuses. Therefore, while giving the palm of invention to the first of these three inventors, the role of other researchers cannot be underestimated.

It often happens that a device used in everyday life, which is of great importance for all mankind, does not remind us in any way of its creator. But it was lit in our homes thanks to the efforts of specific people. Their service to humanity is invaluable - our homes are filled with light and warmth. The story below will introduce you to this great invention and the names of those with whom it is associated.

As for the latter, two names can be noted - Alexander Lodygin and Thomas Edison. Although the merit of the Russian scientist was very great, the palm belongs to the American inventor. Therefore, we will briefly talk about Lodygin and dwell in detail on Edison’s achievements. The history of incandescent lamps is associated with their names. They say that Edison spent a huge amount of time on light bulbs. He had to conduct about 2 thousand experiments before the design familiar to us all was born.

Invention made by Alexander Lodygin

The history of incandescent lamps is very similar to the history of other inventions made in Russia. Alexander Lodygin, a Russian scientist, was able to make a carbon rod glow in a glass vessel from which the air had been pumped out. The history of the creation of the incandescent lamp begins in 1872, when he managed to do this. Alexander received a patent for the electric carbon incandescent lamp in 1874. A little later, he proposed replacing the carbon rod with tungsten. The tungsten part is still used in incandescent lamps.

The merit of Thomas Edison

However, it was the American inventor who was able to create a durable, reliable and inexpensive model in 1878. In addition, he managed to organize its production. His first lamps used charred shavings made from Japanese bamboo as the filament. Tungsten filaments, familiar to us, appeared much later. They began to be used on the initiative of Lodygin, the Russian engineer mentioned above. If it weren’t for him, who knows how the history of incandescent lamps would have developed in subsequent years.

American Edison mentality

Significantly different from Russian. US citizen Thomas Edison had everything going for him. Interestingly, while thinking about how to make telegraph tape more durable, this scientist invented waxing paper. This paper was then used as candy wrappers. Seven centuries of Western history preceded the invention of Edison, and not so much by the development of technical thought, but by the gradual formation of an active attitude towards life among people. Many talented scientists persistently pursued this invention. The history of the origin of the incandescent lamp is connected, in particular, with the name of Faraday. He created fundamental works on physics, without the support of which Edison’s invention would hardly have been feasible.

Other inventions made by Edison

Thomas Edison was born in 1847 in Port Heron, a small American town. The fact that the young inventor had the ability to instantly find investors for his ideas, even the most daring ones, played a role in Thomas’s self-realization. And they were willing to risk considerable sums. For example, while still a teenager, Edison decided to print a newspaper on a train while it was moving and then sell it to passengers. And news for the newspaper should have been collected right at the bus stops. There were immediately people who lent money to buy a small printing press, as well as those who let Edison into the baggage car with this press.

Inventions before Thomas Edison were either made by scientists and were a by-product of the discoveries they made, or by practitioners who perfected what they had to work with. It was Edison who made invention a separate profession. He had many ideas, and almost each of them became a germ for subsequent ones, which required further development. Thomas, throughout his long life, did not care about his personal comfort. It is known that when he visited Europe, already at the zenith of his fame, he was disappointed by the laziness and foppishness of European inventors.

It was difficult to find an area in which Thomas had not made a breakthrough. It is estimated that this scientist made about 40 major discoveries every year. In total, Edison received 1,092 patents.

The spirit of American capitalism pushed Thomas Edison upward. He managed to get rich at the age of 22, when he came up with a quotation “ticker” for the Boston stock exchange. However, Edison's most important invention was the creation of the incandescent lamp. With its help, Thomas managed to electrify all of America, and then the whole world.

Construction of the power plant and the first consumers of electricity

The history of the lamp begins with the construction of a small power plant. The scientist built it in his Menlo Park. She was supposed to serve the needs of his laboratory. However, the resulting energy turned out to be more than was necessary. Then Edison began selling the surplus to neighboring farmers. It is unlikely that these people understood that they had become the first paying consumers of electricity in the world. Edison never aspired to become an entrepreneur, but when he needed something for his work, he opened a small production facility in Menlo Park, which later grew to a large size and followed its own path of development.

History of changes in incandescent lamp design

An electric incandescent lamp is a light source where the conversion of electrical energy into light occurs due to the incandescence of a refractory conductor electric shock. Light energy was first produced in this way by passing current through a carbon rod. This rod was placed in a vessel from which the air had previously been pumped out. Thomas Edison in 1879 created a more or less durable design using carbon filament. However, there is a rather long history of the appearance of the incandescent lamp in its modern form. As a filament body in 1898-1908. they tried to use different metals (tantalum, tungsten, osmium). Tungsten filament, arranged in a zigzag pattern, has been used since 1909. Incandescent lamps began to be filled in 1912-13. (krypton and argon), as well as nitrogen. At the same time, tungsten filament began to be made in the form of a spiral.

The history of the development of the incandescent lamp is further marked by its improvement through improved luminous efficiency. This was done by increasing the temperature of the filament body. The service life of the lamp was maintained. Filling it with inert high-molecular gases with the addition of halogen led to a decrease in contamination of the flask with tungsten particles sprayed inside it. In addition, it reduced the rate of its evaporation. The use of a filament in the form of a bi-spiral and tri-spiral led to a reduction in heat loss through the gas.

This is the history of the invention of the incandescent lamp. Surely you will be interested in learning about what its different varieties are.

Modern varieties of incandescent lamps

Many types of electric lamps consist of certain similar parts. They vary in shape and size. A filament body (that is, a spiral made of tungsten) is fixed to a metal or glass rod inside the flask using holders made of molybdenum wire. The ends of the spiral are attached to the ends of the inputs. In order to create a vacuum-tight connection with a blade made of glass, the middle part of the inputs is made of molybdenum or platinite. The lamp bulb is filled with inert gas during vacuum treatment. Then the stem is welded and a spout is formed. The lamp is equipped with a base for mounting in the socket and protecting the nose. It is attached to the flask with pinning mastic.

Appearance of lamps

Today there are many incandescent lamps, which can be divided into areas of application (for automobile headlights, general purpose etc.), according to the lighting properties of their bulb or structural form (decorative, mirror, with a diffusing coating, etc.), as well as according to the shape of the filament body (with a bi-spiral, with a flat spiral, etc.). As for the dimensions, there are large-sized, normal, small-sized, miniature and subminiature. For example, the latter include lamps with a length of less than 10 mm, the diameter of which does not exceed 6 mm. As for large-sized ones, these include those whose length is more than 175 mm and whose diameter is at least 80 mm.

Lamp power and service life

Modern incandescent lamps can operate at voltages from fractions of a unit to several hundred volts. Their power can be tens of kilowatts. If you increase the voltage by 1%, the luminous flux will increase by 4%. However, this will reduce the service life by 15%. If you turn on the lamp for a short period of time at a voltage that exceeds the rated voltage by 15%, it will be damaged. This is why voltage surges so often cause light bulbs to burn out. Their service life ranges from five hours to a thousand or more. For example, aircraft headlights are designed for a short time, but transport ones can work for a very long time. In the latter case, they should be installed in locations that allow easy replacement. Today, the luminous efficiency of lamps depends on voltage, design, burning time and power. It is about 10-35 lm/W.

Incandescent lamps today

Incandescent lamps, in terms of their luminous efficiency, are certainly inferior to light sources powered by gas (fluorescent lamp). However, they are easier to use. Incandescent lamps do not require complex fittings or starting devices. There are practically no restrictions on power and voltage for them. The world today produces about 10 billion lamps every year. And the number of their varieties exceeds 2 thousand.

LED lamps

The history of the origin of the lamp has already been written, while the history of the development of this invention has not yet been completed. New varieties are appearing and becoming increasingly popular. This is primarily about LED lamps(one of them is shown in the photo above). They are also known as energy saving. These lamps have a light output that is more than 10 times greater than that of incandescent lamps. However, they have a drawback - the power source must be low voltage.

The persistent misconception, partly fueled by encyclopedias, that the electric light bulb was created by the American inventor Thomas Edison, and not by Russian engineers and electrical engineers Pavel Yablochkov and Alexander Lodygin, is still very popular among the masses. Well, let’s try to shed light on this very dark matter.

Each of the above-mentioned inventors has a more or less long trail of inventions. No one is depriving Alexander Nikolaevich Lodygin of his rights to a diving apparatus and an induction furnace. Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov not only designed the first alternating current generator, but was also the first to use alternating current for industrial purposes, created an alternating current transformer, as well as an electromagnet with a flat winding, and was the first to use static capacitors in an alternating current circuit. There were other inventions that have not survived to this day, except for mention of them.

Retired lieutenant Yablochkov is said to have woken up famous on an April day in 1876, when he demonstrated a candle of his own invention at the London Exhibition. On low metal pedestals, at a decent distance from each other, stood four candles wrapped in asbestos, from which wires led. There was a dynamo in the next room. When you turned its handle, the vast room was flooded with very bright, slightly bluish electric light. The public was completely delighted with the Russian invention, and soon the fashionable term “Yablochkov candle” appeared in the press in all European languages. What about Europe and even the USA, the “Russian light” flooded the chambers of the King of Cambodia and the seraglio of the Persian Shah.

“Yablochkov’s candle” and “Russian light” are, of course, not an incandescent light bulb. And no one seems to dispute the priority of the Russian inventor in this matter. But we don’t care about the light bulb, or, on the contrary, about it, dear! The true king (as we will see below and the real one) of the electric light bulb should rightfully be called Alexander Lodygin.

The improvements and changes he made may actually amount to a discovery, despite the fact that he had predecessors. With some convention, Lodygin’s invention can be compared with Columbus’s discovery of America, to which the Vikings and even the ancient Phoenicians sailed, but for the rest of the world this, by and large, was unimportant.

Large circulation newspaper New York Herald dated December 21, 1879 wrote: “Until 1873, electric lighting with incandescent lamps showed, however, little progress, and the inventors considered the incandescent method as deserving much less attention than the use of the voltaic arc. In this year, however, interest in the method "Incandescent lighting was enhanced thanks to the invention of Mr. Lodygin, who built a lamp in which many difficulties that previously seemed insurmountable were overcome."

However, it is not known exactly from what time Parisian and American newspapers called our compatriot in the French way Alexandre de Ladyguine or Alexander de Ladyguine. The aristocratic prefix “de” added special piquancy, which is not surprising, because Alexander Nikolaevich descended from a noble noble family of the Russian Empire. Despite the poverty of his parents, the genealogy of the Lodygin family was not inferior to the ruling royal family, since he descended from a common ancestor with the Romanovs - Andrei Kobyla.

The background to Yankee Edison’s intervention in purely “Russian history” is as follows. In 1877, naval officer A. N. Khotinsky received cruisers in America, built by order of the Russian Empire. When he visited T. Edison’s laboratory, he gave the latter a Lodygin incandescent lamp and a “Yablochkov candle.” Edison selected the most successful material - charred bamboo placed in a vacuum - for the lamp filament, which ensured sufficient operating time, and in November 1879 received a patent for his invention. Yablochkov came out in print accusing him of violating his copyright. Over the next decade, the light bulb continued to be improved, but Edison continued to be listed as its inventor.

If Edison, having stolen the idea of ​​Russian bast shoes, would have turned them into sneakers like Nike, this would be a match for Lodygin’s invention. But Thomas Alva Edison only improved the insoles or smoothed out the laces, and passed them off as his brainchild. Let's not be too harsh on the enterprising Yankee who hammered the long American dollar. In the end, what did this resourceful fellow really come up with and for what we don’t even thank him, when, every time we pick up the phone, we say in different languages: “Hello!”

But the royal relative Lodygin was unlucky in life. The Romanovs are the richest dynasty in the world, and his parents are barely making ends meet. And Alexander himself, Svet Nikolaevich, also let us down a little. Your head and hands seem to be in place, God didn’t hurt you with your talent, but why are you so desperately unlucky?

The project to create an electric aircraft was of interest to the French government, although it was intended for its native side. The French National Defense Committee allocates 50 thousand francs to Lodygin, but on the way, either French Apaches or Russian Zhigans stole a suitcase from the absent-minded inventor. And to hell with the papers, although they have watermarks on them, all the drawings were stolen. Instead of becoming the head of the design bureau, Alexander Nikolaevich was content with the profession of a mechanic. And he feverishly began to reconstruct the lost calculations from memory. It turned out quite according to the proverb: there would have been no happiness, but misfortune helped. Thus the idea of ​​the light bulb was born.

We have already mentioned Lodygin’s reaction to Edison’s tricks, because Alexander Nikolaevich submitted his application for the privilege, as a patent was then called in Rus', back in 1872. At least five years before the arrogant workaholic Edison. But, you see, it’s not just about the pieces of paper... Eight lanterns with Lodygin’s bulb illuminated the streets of St. Petersburg already in 1873 - and this is already a very clear argument. But, as usual, both Russian laziness and Russian stupidity prevented us from putting the presumptuous Yankee in his place. Alexander Lodygin played politics, joining the “People's Will” who were hunting the Russian Tsar with bombs. Miraculously avoiding arrest, in 1880 Lodygin was elected a member of the Russian Technical Society. It seems that for the proposal to replace the vacuum in the flask with an inert gas.

And yet he had to leave his Fatherland. And while the talented inventor feigned indignation at the rotten tsarist regime, his American colleague did not boycott the Wall Street tycoons. His small candle factory... excuse me, a lamp factory churned out 500 light bulbs every day. Political emigrant Lodygin was not able to track the fate of his applications to the US Patent Office, and as soon as the deadlines for their consideration ended, Edison, who did not skimp on clever lawyers, immediately submitted his own petition and instantly received his copyright.

Hello everyone, dear fans interesting facts. I think that none of us can imagine our lives without light. Therefore, today we will find out who was the first in the world to invent a light bulb that resembled a modern one, as well as what and who contributed to this.

The invention of the incandescent light bulb, like all others, was carried out by many people in different countries. The first to demonstrate his brainchild was the Englishman Humphry Davy back in 1806. It was a rather primitive invention. Davy created lighting using electrical sparks between a pair of coal rods. The so-called arc candle was unsuitable for practical widespread use. The device itself did not find support, but the idea of ​​​​creating it, after this demonstration, excited the “bright” minds of many inventors.

Years passed...

Dozens of people worked on the birth of the light bulb, picking up Davy’s idea:
Year 1840 - Englishman Delarue;
Year 1854 – German Heinrich Goebel;
The year is 1860, English chemist and physicist Joseph Wilson Swan showed his work;
Year 1872-1873 - Alexander Lodygin;
Year 1875 - V.F. Didrikhson improved Lodygin’s work;
Year 1875-1876 – Russian electrical engineer Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov, worked on an “electric candle”;
Thomas Edison in 1879 completed what his predecessors could not do.

Russian engineer and his invention

Many people in different countries created their creations. Many were haunted by failure. But Alexander Lodygin’s lamp was able to withstand all the tests. She shone for a full thirty minutes! This was already an unprecedented achievement. As many as two of these “miracle candles” shone on the streets of St. Petersburg! Hundreds of people came specially to see them. It was a real sensation, but... Not everything was so simple. Due to the prevailing circumstances, Lodygin was unable to achieve wide distribution of his creation.

The Russian engineer failed to complete his work, but Thomas Edison succeeded. An American scientist learned about the experiments of his Russian colleague. He decided to improve an existing invention. His work deserves respect - the scientist conducted 1,500 experiments, testing various materials. But this was not the end - 6000 experiments with carbon filaments - this is the contribution that the inventor made to the history of the light bulb.

Is the invention so clear?

Without the ideas of all his predecessors and the invention of Alexander Nikolaevich, Thomas Edison probably would not have succeeded. This fact is obvious, but unprovable. The American's painstaking, persistent work gave humanity a thread that burned for hundreds of hours without burning out. He was also able to organize the production of light bulbs at the first specialized plant; they were distributed throughout all countries of the world, replacing traditional candles. This is how the Edison Electrical Light Company was born.

No one dares to say unequivocally that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but no one has yet been able to refute this either. The incandescent lamp was invented before him. However, he created the first practical model along with an electrical system, which is his undeniable achievement. Well, now you know who was the first in the world to invent the light bulb, without which today’s life is simply unimaginable.

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.