The invention of the light bulb was a cumulative effort by several inventors over many decades. Thomas Edison is most famously credited with inventing the first practical and commercially viable light bulb in 1879. However, many others contributed to its development before him:
- Alessandro Volta developed the voltaic pile around 1800, an early form of electric battery providing steady current essential for lighting.
- Humphry Davy created the first electric arc lamp in 1802.
- James Bowman Lindsay, Warren de la Rue, and William Staite built early incandescent lamp prototypes in the 1830s-1840s.
- Joseph Swan developed an incandescent light bulb before Edison and collaborated with him later.
- Edison improved on prior designs by finding the best filament material (carbonized bamboo) and vacuum technology to create a long-lasting, practical bulb, supported by an entire electrical distribution system.
Therefore, while Edison did not invent the concept of the light bulb, his innovations made electric lighting practical and commercially successful, earning him much of the credit. The light bulb's invention is better understood as a cumulative process involving many inventors over the 19th century.
