Great Invention in Electrical Field: The Light Bulb The light bulb is one of the most influential inventions in the world. It makes us work more productively at night and helps us have more fun during night activities. It significantly changes the lives of people around the world. The birth of light bulbs also helped us create other light-related inventions, such as telephones, televisions and computers. By using light bulbs, we have actually reduced the likelihood of fires because if we don't have light bulbs, we will instead use candles which can easily cause fires. There are many other benefits that we get from the light bulb and all these are attributed to Thomas Alva Edison. Thomas Alva Edison is a very well-known American inventor. He invented about 1093 devices that have greatly influenced us, such as the light bulb, microphone, telephone receiver, universal bag, phonograph, kinetoscope (used to view moving images), accumulator, electric pen, and mimeograph. Edison also improved many other existing devices. In the period from 1878 to 1880, Thomas Edison began serious research to develop a practical incandescent lamp. Edison and his collaborators worked on at least three thousand different theories to develop an efficient incandescent lamp. In 1878 Edison built his first high-resistance incandescent electric lamp. Incandescent lamps produce light by using electricity to heat a thin strip of material (called a filament) until it becomes hot enough to glow. Many inventors had tried to refine incandescent lamps to "split" electric light or make it smaller and dimmer than existing arc lamps, which were too bright to be used for small spaces such as rooms in a house. The lamp would consist of a filament... paper in the center... from our attic it is dated January 27, 1880. It is the product of Edison's continuous improvements to the 1879 light bulb. Although it is more than a hundred years old, this light bulb it looks a lot like the light bulbs that light up your house now. The base, or socket, of this 19th century lamp is similar to those still used today. It was one of the most important features of Edison's lamp and electrical system. The label on this bulb reads: From a discovery made by one of his associates, he patented the Edison effect (now called the thermionic diode), which is the basis of all electron tubes. Edison will forever be remembered for his contribution to the incandescent light bulb. Even though he didn't invent the first light bulb ever made, and technology continues to change every day, Edison's work with light bulbs was a spark of brilliance in the timeline of inventions..