Edison invented a practical incandescent lamp
and a system to deliver electricity to the bulbs and thus light to the world.
Incandescent materials glow when an electric currant passes through them. Until Edison invented carbon filaments, no one had found an incandescent material that would survive for more than a few minutes of illumination.
Once Edison invented a practical light bulb, he then had to develop an entire power-providing industry to make it usable, including sockets, wires and switches.
At the Pearl Street Power Station in New York
City, Edison’s dyno produced electricity, sending it to his customers through
wires following the existing grid of gas lines. He even invented chemical metering
systems to determine how much power each customer used and how much each should
pay.
Light and power were major Edison interests. Of his 1,093 patents, 356 were for lights and power distribution. Click here to view Thomas Edison’s 1,093 patent applications.
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