Lamps: History of Lighting

Many references from past ages have illuminated the fact that the lamp has been used to spread the light, even before electricity was discovered, and the lighting was given a new meaning. The use of lights can be broadly classified into two eras: The era of pre-and post-electric power.

Lights: Pre-electrical Era

The discovery and first use of lights can be dated back to 70,000 BC. At that time, no metal or bronze to make lamps instead of later civilizations used hollow rocks and shells. Hollow stones filled with moss and other natural substances and then soaked in animal fat. Animal fats and oils act as this is how the first lamps lit.

With the advent of pottery, and bronze and copper age, humans began to create lamps that mimic other natural forms. Wicks came much later and used to control the fire or burning rate. In the 7th century BC, Greeks started using terra cotta lamps, which replaced the handheld torches. The word lamp has been derived from the Greek word lampas, meaning torch.

Lighting and Design Changes:

There are major changes in the design of the lamp in the 18th century, when the central burner was invented. With the invention of a stove, a separate fuel source made from metal. Other minor changes are made is the addition of a metal tube that can be adjusted to control the intensity of the fire or light.

This is an important discovery in terms of lighting because with adjustment, humans are able to reduce the lighting or make light as required. Another aspect is added to a new lamp, which is in the form of small glass chimney. The role is to protect the glass chimney fire and control the flow of air.

Swiss chemist Ami Argand used the axis of a circular hole in an oil lamp for the first time in 1783.

Fuel for Lighting

Various types of fuel have been used for lighting lamps between 70,000 BC and now. Most of the early forms of fuel beeswax, olive oil, animal fat, fish oil, sesame oil, whale oil, peanut oil and others are also one of the most commonly used forms of fuel to power the lights until the late 18th century.

Around the year 1859, the drilling process first begins to find petroleum and with the advent of kerosene, which is derived from petroleum, lamp became more popular and usage increased. Kerosene enabled lighting was first introduced in Germany in 1853.

During this same time two other products used for the purpose of lighting their lamps and natural gas and coal. The first use of coal gas lamps in 1784.

Lamp Lighting Power
Lamp has really come a long way from the use of coal gas for electricity. In 1801, Sir Humphrey Davy of England found an electric carbon arc lamp, which is the first of its kind. The working principle for this lamp is simple and included hooking of two carbon rods to a power source.

Carbon rods are stored at a distance from each other so that electric current can flow through the arc so that vaporize carbon to create white lighting. Around 1857, AE Becquerel French came out with a theory on the fluorescent lighting. In the 1870s, the unthinkable happened with Thomas Edison invented the first electric incandescent lamp. Since then the incandescent lamps used for lighting purposes in the home until around the early 20th century.

In 1901, Peter Cooper Hewitt patented his new invention, mercury vapor lamps. This is another type of arc lamp that enhanced lighting using mercury vapor, enclosed in a glass bulb. Mercury vapor lamps set the prototype for fluorescent lamps.

Neon lights are created by Georges Claude of France in 1911 followed by Irving Langmuir, an American who discovered electricity gas-filled incandescent lamp in 1915. In 1927, Hans Spanner, Friedrich Meyer, and Edmund Germer patented the first fluorescent lamp. Fluorescent lamps provided better lighting than the mercury vapor lamps because they are coated from inside with beryllium.

Since then we have used different forms of lighting the lamp, which includes mercury vapor, incandescent lamps and even today, in some corners of the earth people still use the old wick and oil lamps for lighting their homes.