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.

We and our partners use technologies, such as cookies, and collect browsing data to give you the best online experience and to personalise the content and advertising shown to you. Please let us ...

You might have learned in school that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, but the truth is much stranger (public domain) It has been known for a long time that passing a current through a wire ...

Swan continued to develop his invention and in 1880 his friend William Armstrong's house at Cragside, near Rothbury in Northumberland, was the first private home to be lit by electric light bulbs.