Everybody recognizes that we owe a debt of gratitude to Thomas Edison for the creation of the electric lightbulb, a pivotal advancement in human development … or do we? Considered by numerous people to be the preeminent inventor in history, Edison amassed over 1,000 patents under his name. Yet, throughout his lifetime and beyond, he faced persistent allegations of copying others’ work. In reality, Edison frequently functioned more as an enhancer than a true inventor, showing reluctance to acknowledge those whose concepts he elaborated on. The electric lightbulb, his most notable achievement, was no exception.
Edison introduced his renowned lightbulb in 1879, marking the first commercially viable type of electric lighting worldwide. Nevertheless, the foundations of this innovation can be traced back more than seventy-five years prior, well before Edison’s time. It would be inaccurate to claim the lightbulb was an isolated invention. Instead, it was a technology cultivated over many years, through gradual milestones reached by numerous individuals in both America and Europe. The initial versions of electric lighting may appear quite alien from a contemporary perspective, but without them, the endeavors of Thomas Edison, along with all subsequent innovations, could not have occurred.
