Where and when was the first lamp made?

Answer 1

Lamps have been around from the time that man harnessed fire. Lamps made of wood, grass, straw, animal fats were all used. Oil lamps made use of a wick that would supply a flame with a oil from an oil reservoir and this is perhaps the first of the low maintenance lamps. In the early 1800s, a lamp that burnt hydrogen with calcium oxide (lime) was developed and is known as a limelight. They were often used in theaters because of their intense light output. The phrase "in the limelight" was coined because stars were lit by limelight on stage. As electricity became available, high power lamps used an arc, or a spark between two electrode to create light. Arc lamps became available in the mid 1800s but were difficult to maintain Thomas Edison, an American inventor from Ohio is generally credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb. He patented the idea in 1880 after thousands of experiments that involved a high resistance wire in a glass bulb. The early experiments were successful but only for a few minutes. The final product was able to operate for many hours rather than minutes. Edison was the first to produce a compact and reliable incandescent lamp. It is interesting to note that at least 20 others tried and succeeded in similar endeavours. Edison was granted his patent for the first practical incandescent lamp. Edison joined forces with another inventor called Swan. Their company later became known as Thorn Lighting Ltd, still around today.

Answer 2

The first lamp was made in the 18th century in Europe. It is believed to have been invented in 1784 by Aime Argand, a Swiss chemist. His design improved the efficiency and brightness of oil lamps at the time.