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Category: Entertainment

Tags: light bulblight emitting diodeoptical fibersvisible lightcandlesledsunwavelasersfluroescentphysicsfirespeed of lightparticleflashlightprismenergyincandescent lightwavelengthstarsolar systemneonthomas edisontheodore maimanplanetphosphorescenceelectricityfluorescent lightshistoryphotonlightspectrumscienceearthelementsthe history of light

Description: From the earliest days of fire to the conception of the fluorescent light, here is a condensed version of the history of light on Earth. Subscribe to Knowledge Feed for awesome mysteries, discoveries, fun topics and all around AWESOME videos! 5. Neon This element was discovered by William Ramsey and M.W Travers in 1898 in London, England. It is a rare gas that is present in Earth’s atmosphere and is the tenth element with the abbreviation Ne on the periodic table of elements. French chemist and inventor Georges Claude was the first person to send an electrical discharge through a sealed tube of neon gas in 1902. Eight years later the engineer showcased the world’s first neon lamp for the public in Paris and received a patent for his neon lighting tube on January 19, 1915. His French company, Claude Neon would introduce neon gas signs to the United States in the early 1920’s. They sold two signs that read Packard to a Packard car dealership in Los Angeles, California for 24 thousand dollars. 4. Fluorescent Lights French physicist Alexandre Becquerel investigated fluorescence and phosphorescence in the mid-1800’s and came up with the process that would eventually be further developed into fluorescent lamps. Peter Hewitt came up with a low-pressure mercury arc lamp in 1901 that serves as the first prototype of the modern day fluorescent light. Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer, and Hans Spanner applied for a patent for a fluorescent lamp in 1926. Germer came up with a high-pressure lamp that could handle a lot of power in 1934 and eventually the trio would sell their patent to GE. The company would start selling a practical and viable fluorescent lamp in 1938. 3. Light Emitting Diode (LED) 33-year-old GE scientist Nick Holonyak Jr. created the first practical visible light emitting diode in 1962. The funny thing is that he wasn’t even trying to create a new form of light he was trying to make a laser. During the time research labs were racing to invent the first semiconductor laser. Holonyak decided to make a visible version that glowed red. It was the first time anyone had made a practical lamp of its kind. Within a year GE was selling leds for 260 dollars each. While Holonyak expected his incredible light source to replace incandescent light bulbs right away, it took a little bit longer than he estimated. People used LED’s in IBM circuit boards in the 60’s and digital watches in the 1970’s. By 1990 they were being used in traffic lights and car brake lights. Today LED light bulbs are steadily gaining popularity and slowly replacing incandescent light bulbs in homes around the world. 2. Optical Fibers Flexible transparent fiber made by drawing silica or plastic to a diameter just barely thicker than a strand of human hair, optical fibers, also known as light guides allow people to transmit significant amounts of information using the power of light. Guiding light by refraction, the principle behind fiber optics was first demonstrated in the mid-nineteenth century in Paris by Daniel Colladon and Jacques Babinet, when they directed light along jets of water for fountain displays. Optical fibers came into heavy use in the 1970’s and 1980’s when telephone companies rebuilt their communications infrastructures with fibers. In the mid-1980’s Sprint was founded with the nation’s first 100 percent digital fiber optic network. 1. Lasers Theodore Maiman built the first laser at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Culver City, California in 1960. The main difference between a laser and other forms of light is that its beams are emitted coherently, allowing the laser to be focused on a tight spot. They are used in endless applications like barcode scanners and DNA sequencing instruments. Its beam can be made powerful enough to cut and weld materials. Sean Connery’s James Bond was infamously threatened with a giant, powerful laser beam in Goldfinger, making the movie the first film in history to use a laser beam. Spacecraft fly around the galaxy shooting laser beams at each other in Star Wars. Heck, the Death Star was nothing more than a planet destroying super laser. While this form of light has a futuristic connotation, tamer versions of lasers are found in almost every modern household in the world in DVD players and printers.