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 were too dim for daily usage, but the gaslights used on the streets and factories were too bright for indoor usages. No option was left for usage in the household, until the electrically powered incandescent light bulb was invented. Not only did this new option not involve burning, but it provided a long lasting, steady light that could illuminate the household. This concept of lighting up the household was fairly new. In the Renaissance periods, workers only lit candles and other light sources when they were working but never in the home—due to expensive costs. Coming into the nineteenth century, as said before, the lighting that was available for home wasn’t much better than the candles that were used in the renaissance. So the invention of the light bulb brought about a whole new concept of illuminating one’s household. This enabled families to pursue leisure activities, read, educate themselves, and talk amongst themselves more. It would have been a revolutionary step forward for families of the time.
Going above and beyond the household, the light bulb also drastically changed the workplace. Before the start of the industrial revolution, individual craftsmen, farmers, and shopkeepers determined their own hours of operation. Lighting was only needed during early mornings and during the night after sundown, and throughout the day people generally relied on natural sunlight to conduct their daily lives. However with the onset of the industrial revolution, workers could no longer control their own work schedules or hours of operation. They were subject to an industrial process, with goals to achieve and deadlines to keep. This prompted managers and factory owners to look for innovative light sources to illuminate their factories, because during many times the industrial process will call for longer working hours or early morning shifts. Many think of the steam engine, or coal as the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. But artificial illumination was also a major factor in driving the industrial revolution forward for much of the nineteenth century. The light bulb stands out in a way for its technological advancement. The incandescent light bulb was the sole artificial light source that could be controlled from one power generator. This could not be done with gaslights, and the light that gaslights offered was no as bright as the light offered by incandescent light bulbs. The latter option was also much cheaper, and easier to manage and maintain. All of these factors combined made incandescent light bulbs much more suitable to the industrial revolution, and it really drove industrialization forward in America. The light bulb was also a prime necessity in war time production, where factories had to be operated around the clock. Jobs requiring visual acuity could also be performed better with better lighting and illumination. The workplace was drastically changed by artificial illumination.
Lastly, the light bulb’s contribution to city life is thoroughly seen even in modern day societies. Even simple traffic lights, now such a necessity and a requirement in big cities, did not exist until after the invention of the incandescent light bulb. The rise of automobiles during war time and in the post war era would not have been possible without inventions like the traffic light. Nightlife was also created for the first time in various cities. Cities like New York and Baltimore, one of the first cities to get full electrical grid systems, were the first cities to develop a full fledged nightlife. Shopping was also revolutionized as shop windows could be illuminated and shopping at night was created for the first time.
In all, the developments that were brought on by the invention of the incandescent light bulb were significant. In the household, in the workplace, and in the streets, the light bulb had far reaching effects that made past artificial illumination technologies obsolete. The endeavours of hundreds of researchers, scientists, and academics in trying to overcome the greatest distinction in humankind, the one between night and day, are still ongoing. But the incandescent light bulb proves to be the best advancement that society has seen so far.