The Lightbulb and its Effects on Society

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One of humankind’s most fundamental and important distinctions is between night and day. One is characterized by the presence of light, and the other by the absence of light. As such, light is an integral part of human lives and have been so for thousands of years. Since the beginning of human life on this planet, humans have seeked to create an artificial light source that does what the sun does in daytime, provide a stable, steady source of light to work, study, and enjoy leisure activities during night time. There have been hundreds and thousands of endeavours to create an innovative and stable artificial light source that could light up households, streets, and factories. The first form of artificial illumination traces itself back up to prehistoric times, when the first torches were used. The invention of the wick and the candle was a revolutionary development that changed artificial illumination for the better and continued on for centuries. In the nineteenth century, artificial illumination took huge leaps forward with gaslights, oil lamps—and the most principal of them all was the electrical light bulb. The light bulb stands out as the greatest endeavour in the series of attempts at creating a stable source of artificial illumination. It is the only endeavour that still continues to this day and the only endeavour that has had effects that reached all aspects of society is the electrical light bulb. The invention of the light bulb first and foremost reached into households, to thousands of families and individuals. The light bulb also entered the workplace and changed working conditions drastically. Lastly, the light bulb revolutionized the city and urban life, changing people’s perceptions, attitudes, and actions forever.

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        The previous developments of artificial illumination were largely focused on usage in the workplace or in the streets. Gaslights were developed for usage in the factories to drive the industrial revolution, and the coal that is used in gaslights was a primary resource in the industrialization of Britain, and Europe. The only options that were suitable for usage in households were oil lamps and candles. All of these options involved burning, releasing smoke and sometimes poisonous air into the air. Also the strength of the light was varied a lot between different forms of technologies. The oil lamps and candles ...

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