There have been many awesome inventors with inventions still being used in our everyday lives. To choose the greatest invention or discovery of all time would be next to impossible. With all the technology today, all inventions seem as if we could not live without them. Thomas Edison's light bulb has been one of the biggest impacts on society even to this day.
Thomas wanted to replace the gaslight with a mild, safe, and inexpensive electric light. Edison invented the light bulb in 1879, and to this day the light bulb is still just as useful, if not more so. As time has passed, the light bulb has grown more important with more and more functions. Just think about how many different types of light bulbs we have now... in civilized areas there is hardly 10 sq. feet without at least one light bulb.
When the light bulb was first invented, its main function was to light the houses of millions and to light workplaces for millions more, making work less stressful on workers' eyes.
English: Light bulb patent application. Photolitho...
An original Edison light bulb from 1879 from Thoma...
Thomas Edison's first lightbulb which was used in ...This splendid invention allowed manufacturers to extend their workdays by many hours. Ever heard of the "graveyard shift?" This time period, and with the invention of the light bulb is probably where the graveyard shift came into play.
In 1878, the most agreeable source of lighting was gas. Unfortunately, gas was very inconvenient. It was unclean, nasty, unhealthy, uncomfortable and dangerous. When the gas was burned for lighting, it stained the fixtures, roof, and wallpaper with soot created from the gas. The fixtures pretty much had to be cleaned every day. It polluted the air by putting out soot and used up oxygen. It even made summer days hotter and more deplorable. It caused disasters, such as explosions and fires, not to mention it had...