Student Question
Who is the inventor of the bulb?
Quick answer:
Thomas Edison is widely credited with inventing the light bulb in 1879; however, this is an oversimplification. The development of the light bulb involved contributions from several inventors. Humphrey Davy demonstrated an early electric lamp in 1806, and Frederick DeMoleyns patented a glass light bulb in 1841. Edison's contribution was creating a practical, long-lasting bulb, which is why he is most often associated with its invention.
Thomas Edison is usually credited with the invention of the light bulb in 1879 but historians now believe that this is a myth. In fact, the story of the light bulb begins in 1806 when an English scientist, Humphrey Davy, demonstrated an electric lamp to the Royal Society. Davy called it an 'arc lamp' and created a light by sparking electricity between two charcoal roads. Davy's invention was not well-received because the light was too bright to be used in people's homes. This invention did, however, encourage other scientists to start thinking about how best to design a light bulb. In 1841, for example, a British inventor called Frederick DeMoleyns patented the first glass light bulb and, over the next decade, more and more patents were granted for similar designs.
Edison's light bulb was, therefore, inspired by these earlier works but Humphrey Davy is, perhaps, the man who should be...
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credited with its invention.
References
Who invented the light bulb?
While we often try to identify single individuals who invented things, most things are invented by a combination of people. The light bulb is no different. The light bulb was not invented all at once by a single person. Instead, many different people contributed to the development of light bulbs. However, if you are required to identify one person as the inventor of the light bulb, the answer you are expected to give is almost certainly Thomas Edison.
Edison was not the first person to come up with the idea of an electric light bulb. He was not even the first person to make a light bulb that worked. Instead, he was the first person to come up with (of course, the other people who worked for him in his labs helped) a light bulb that lasted long enough to be really useful. This is why we tend to identify Edison as the inventor of the light bulb.
You can follow the links below for a more in-depth discussion of the development of the light bulb. The links show the names of other people who helped in that development. However, Edison is still the most likely answer to your question.
References