The evolution of lighting

We’ve come a long, long way in less than 150 years!

Walk into a room, flick on a light. It’s not that long ago that that was a pipe dream. We’ve come a long way in a relatively short space of time.

The general consensus is that this great big planet of ours was formed about 4.6 billion years ago. While the Homo habilis species from which we eventually evolved were apparently dodging about around 2.8 million years ago (there is evidence of the use of stone tools), ‘early modern humans’ (anatomically consistent with contemporary humans) can be traced back anywhere between 200,000 and more than 800,000 years ago, depending on who you believe.

Instagram didn’t capture much of it back in the day.

Regardless of just how far back the human race goes, the fact is that for the vast, vast majority of it, fire was used to light the way. As civilisations progressed and cramped, overcrowded towns and cities – with houses made primarily of wood and thatched roofs – became increasingly common, the fire risks grew and grew.

So it’s no surprise the race was on for a better form of lighting homes, shops, entertainment venues and businesses. There are so many stories, people and events in the history of lighting that it’s impossible to capture them all over a couple of pages – so we take an *ahem* lighthearted look through some of the *ahem ahem* highlights of the evolution of lighting!

The evolution of lighting – key dates

1802

As the 1700s made way for the 1800s, a young man called Humphry Davy was busy inventing smart things in England, including the first example of an incandescent light. It wasn’t bright enough or long-lasting enough to be useful, but it proved the principle.

1806

Davy presented an early form of an arc light to London’s Royal Society. It created illumination from an electric arc created between two charcoal rods. He went on to create lamps for miners – the Davy Lamp.

1840s

Sir William Robert Grove developed an incandescent light that passed an electrical current through a filament.

1870s
The race was on to create the first practical incandescent light bulbs. Much work had been undertaken by scientists around the world to find an incandescent light bulb that would last a while and not be ridiculously expensive to make. Sir Joseph Swan worked for more than 20 years in England to create an incandescent carbon light bulb, which he demonstrated publicly for the first time in 1878. Over in the States, Thomas Edison was hard at work too. He and his team had identified the need to improve the filament to make it commercially viable.

1879
Thomas Edison and his team patented the incandescent light bulb in the US in 1879 and 1880. A carbonised filament of uncoated thread could last 14 and a half hours, while bamboo lasted for up to 1,200 hours. For the next 10 years, the bamboo filament became standard – as did the Edison screw! Interestingly, within three years of getting his patent, Edison had created the need for 300 power stations and he had sold around 70,000 lamps – each of which would last around 100 hours in total.

1880
Electric lights begin to find their way into homes. Sir Joseph Swan’s lamps were first used by miners, but he spotted the opportunity to increase his customer base, selling 700 to homeowners and to ships in a year.

1880
Allegedly without any knowledge of the work of Edison or Swan, Australian inventor Henry Sutton created an electric light bulb.

1881
The Savoy Theatre in London became the first public building to be lit entirely by electricity.

1897

An early dimmable light was invented by dipping standard electrodes into salt water. The further into the water that the lamp was dipped, the dimmer the light would go. This technique was widely used to create an atmosphere in upper-class homes and theatres in London and Paris.

1898 
While neon lighting may seem a more modern concept, it was 19th century France who got the neon going! Theatre shows – think Moulin Rouge style – were promoted with red lights. And soon, they were must-haves.

1910-1930s
A period of evolution as inventors strived to improve the technology available. Irving Langmuir introduced the gas-filled tungsten filament bulb, increasing the efficiency and lifespan of incandescent lights; Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer, and Hans Spanner patented the first fluorescent lamp, while General Electric launched halogen lamps, which offered increased efficiency.

1962
While working for General Electric, Nick Holonyak Jr. came up with the first visible spectrum light-emitting diode (LED) in the form of red diodes.

1970s
Energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were developed as an alternative to incandescent bulbs. They were first explored in response to the 1973 oil crisis, but didn’t really hit the market until the 1980s.

1980s
LED technology advances, leading to the development of brighter and more efficient LEDs.

1990s
Japanese-American electronic engineer Shuji Nakamura developed blue LEDs which enabled the creation of white LEDs and revolutionised energy-efficient lighting.

2000s
The search was well and truly on for a more energy-efficient alternative to incandescent bulbs. CFLs gained popularity.

2010s
LEDs made it mainstream and were quickly adopted for residential, commercial and industrial applications due to their energy efficiency, longevity, and cost savings. Here in Australia, sales of most incandescent bulbs were banned in 2010, while in 2023, most incandescent bulbs were banned from sale in the US.

2020s
Smart lighting continues to gain in popularity, as innovation and automation is embedded into every aspect of our lives. While the basic purpose hasn’t changed over the years, its application, durability and effectiveness certainly has.

 
Given it’s been less than 150 years since the first public demonstration of the electric light bulb, we’ve come a hell of a long way in a relatively short space of time.

Where to next?