The Timeline of the Light Bulb
- 1809: An English chemist named Humphry Davey used a high powered battery to create an electric current between two strips of charcoal. The flow of the current produced light to create the first arc lamp.
- 1820: Warren de la Rue attempted to create the incandesent lightbulb. Using a platinum coil and a tube, he planned to create a lightbulb. He slid the coil though the tube and an electric current was passed between the two objects. The design allowed the bulb to operate at a higher temperature and contain less gas.
- 1840: William Robert Grove succeeded in creating light for incandescent lamps. The lamps were made using platinum coils in glass that sealed in water. "Unfortunately, the platinum coil lamps were too expensive and impractical for commercial use." (http://invsee.asu.edu/modules/lightbulb/1840.htm)
- 1841: Frederick de Moleyns came up with a design that involved "mounting a powdered charcoal flament between two platinum wires in a glass bulb under a vacuum." (http://invsee.asu.edu/modules/lightbulb/1840.htm)
- 1850: An English scientist named Edward G. Shepard made an incandesent lamp using charcoal filament.