By Tim Lambert
Human beings have always needed artificial light. Today, we take it for granted. You press a switch, and it appears. However, for our ancestors, providing light after dark was far more difficult. At first, a fire provided the only light at night.
Oil Lamps and Candles
However, Prehistoric people used stones with natural depressions as oil lamps. They filled them with animal fat. Wicks were made of moss or plant fibres. When civilizations arose, people made clay oil lamps with spouts. They burned animal fat or olive oil. The Romans made elaborate metal oil lamps. They made hanging lamps that could be hung from ceilings. Lamps were often richly decorated.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, whale oil was widely used for oil lamps. In the late 18th century, glass chimneys were added to protect the flame from draughts. In many towns in the 18th century, the streets were lit by oil lamps. However, it’s doubtful if they were very effective. People could hire link-boys. They held flaming torches to guide people along the streets at night. Pitch torches were used for millennia. Flammable material was soaked in pitch and wrapped around a stick or bundle of sticks.
In 1853, Ignacy Łukasiewicz invented the kerosene lamp. It made oil lamps brighter and safer.
Candles
In the Ancient World, people used candles made of animal fat or beeswax. However, for centuries after the fall of Rome, in Europe, candles were made from animal fat. Unfortunately, they made an unpleasant smell. In the Middle Ages, the Church and the wealthy began using beeswax candles again, although they were too expensive for most people. In the 18th century, candles were made from whale wax.
The poorest people could not afford candles. Instead, they had rushlights. They were rushes dipped in animal fat. Special holders were made for them.
People also used lanterns made of wood or metal with strips of horn or parchment to protect the flame. In Europe, in the Middle Ages, lanterns were sometimes made with glass, but it took a long time for them to replace the cheaper versions made with horn. In 1417, the Lord Mayor of London ordered that all citizens must hang lanterns outside their homes on Winter nights to make the streets less dark.
In 1834, Joseph Morgan invented a machine that could mass-produce candles. In the 1850s, it became possible to make candles from paraffin. However, in the late 19th century, candles gave way to kerosene lamps and gas light.
Gas Light
William Murdoch was born on 21 August 1754. He was a pioneer of gaslight. In 1792, he used it to light his laboratory. It might not seem like a big deal to us, but gas light meant streets could be effectively lit at night, which made a big difference in people’s lives. Gas light also meant that factories could keep working after dark.
In 1807, Pall Mall in London became the first street in the world lit by gas. By 1830, most towns and cities in Britain had followed suit. In 1817, Baltimore became the first city in the USA to have gaslight. Paris was first lit with gas in 1820.
In the mid-19th century, wealthy people began to have gas lighting in their homes. By the late 1870s, even most working-class homes in cities had gas lights, although people who lived in villages without a gas supply relied on kerosene lamps.
In 1826, John Walker invented the friction match. It made it much easier to light candles, oil lamps, and fires.
Electric Light
It’s debatable who invented electric light. As early as 1802, Humphry Davy invented the Electric Arc lamp. During the 19th century, several men experimented with electric light bulbs. In 1878, Joseph Swan invented an early electric light bulb. In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the first commercially successful light bulb.
Mosley Street in Newcastle Upon Tyne was the first street in the world to have electric lights in 1879. It took time for electric light to become common, but in the 1890s, many towns and cities in Britain switched from gas streetlights to electric.
In 1882, inventor Edward H Johnson decorated his Christmas tree with his new invention – Christmas tree lights. The flashlight was invented by David Misell in 1899.
In 1883, electric lights were installed in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace. They were later extended to the rest of the palace. On 6 May 1891, electric lights were installed in the White House in Washington DC. However, it took decades for electric light to become common in ordinary people’s homes. In Britain, it became popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1910, Georges Claude first publicly demonstrated his new invention, neon lights. In 1914, the first electric traffic lights in the world were installed in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1926, the first electric traffic lights in England were installed at Piccadilly Circus in London.
The Empire State Building officially opened on 1 May 1931. President Hoover pressed a button, and all the lights went on.
Lighthouses
The first lighthouses were made in the Ancient World. The most famous was the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The Romans also built lighthouses. A Roman lighthouse still stands at Dover in England.
After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, many lighthouses were abandoned. They became common again in the 17th century. The first lighthouse in the USA was Boston Light, which was built in 1716.
In 1822, Augustin Fresnel invented the Fresnel lens, which magnified the light, making it visible over much longer distances. In the 19th century, lighthouses were illuminated by oil lamps, but in the 20th century, they were converted to electricity.
