Evolution of the lightbulb

Giesser Tubes (1857)

• A sealed glass tube filled with gas that emitted light when an electric current passed through it. It was the earliest version of a fluorescent bulb and was invented by Heinrich Geissler.

First Incandescent Light Bulb (1880)

• The first commercially viable incandescent was invented by Thomas Edison, and it used a carbon filament.

First fluorescent light bulb (1934-1939)

• A group of general electric engineers developed the first fluorescent lamp.

First LED (1962)

• Nick Holonyak Jr invented the first LED but they were only a red color. It laid the groundwork for future LED technology 

Present-day light bulbs

• LEDs are the leading option for light bulbs today. They are the most efficient, brightest, and longest-lasting kind of light bulb available. Incandescent and fluorescent bulbs are being replaced by LEDs.