But you are using one of the greatest inventions ever made. The light bulb led to new energy breakthroughs — from power plants and electric transmission lines to home appliances and electric motors.

In 1877, after Edison invented the phonograph, Johnson took the machine on tour, charging crowds to drum up excitement. When Edison patented the light bulb in 1880, its exact value was hard to ...

The Cragside type lamp became the first light bulb to be made in large numbers in 1881, when Swan established the world's first light bulb factory at Benwell in Newcastle. In 1883 Swan teamed up ...