Let there be light

In comic books, the light bulb is the stereotypical symbol of the "Eureka"-moment, of a great idea invented in a flash. Reality could not be more different. From Humphry Davy over Swan and Edison to William Coolidge, who invented the tungsten filament, the development of the incandescent bulb spans a period of continuous improvement of more than a hundred years before it became viable and widespread, such was the public need for illumination.

Looking back, it now seems that the greatest impact of the incandescent bulb on our lives was not the admittedly momentous effect of prolonging the previously dark candle-lit evenings and its multiplier effect on work productivity and life quality. No, the reason why it is the greatest invention is that it provided the "killer application", the raison d'etre for a power grid encompassing every household. The unexpected applications to which the domestic power outlet was put include the refrigerator, the washing machine, the TV and the home computer, each of which had a profound and possibly life-changing effect of today's society, but none of which would have found their current broad adoption were it not for the network effects of a bright idea.

Submitted by: Marton Huebler