In the world we live in today, it is hard to imagine a time when there were no lights considering that most of the world today is lit all through the day and night. Instead, people relied on Lantern and candles to light up rooms or cities. However, due to the remarkable work of Thomas Edison in 1879, the world departed from traditional methods of lighting into using electric light bulbs. The bulbs brought on immense changes to the world.
Light bulbs revolutionized the way people viewed the night. Before its invention, the onset of the evening marked the end of the day as darkness engulfed homes and towns and the only activity could occur was sleeping. However, as a form of electric light, the bulbs contributed cheap, safe and powerful light that was not only beautiful, but one that was bright enough to illuminate significantly large spaces, thereby, altering the reliance on flames for light. Henceforth, people could walk, sit around and continue with their work in the full glare of the light bulbs. Moreover, the bulbs come in different shapes, sizes, watts, and different colors of lights, which makes them ideal for decoration during celebrations or festivities such as Christmas.
Light bulbs prolonged the working hours. Before their discovery, for businesses and farmers to meet their goals, they had to push their workers to work for longer weeks, which often resulted in complaints about abuse of employees and failure to meet the set out targets. Working hours then primarily depended on sunrise and sunset. However, the light bulbs, allowed various industries to become increasingly industrial as employees could work throughout the night efficiently, without disruptions. Hence, resulting in the advancement of industries.
Safety became apparent with light bulbs. Previously, homes relied on candles, oil-based lamps and firewood as sources of lighting. These sources were dangerous as they would easily fall and ignite fires in homes, thus causing numerous deaths every year. In factories, lack of sufficient and bright lighting often prevented employees from seeing and avoiding workplace hazards, which caused various work injuries and fatalities. However, increased illumination through the light bulbs made it easier for workers to identify, and avoid potential accidents, thus improved the safety standards in industries while they made nights at home safer.
Lightbulbs enhanced leisure activities. It did so by extending leisure hours. Numerous people tend to work long hours during the day, thus, when in need of relaxing and catching up with friends, the night would be the obvious option. Hence, the discovery of lightbulbs promoted this by ensuring that adequate light was present on the streets and in various joints such as restaurants and clubs throughout the night. Hence, this created and strengthened a culture of outings as the lights extended the occurrence of these activities to nights. Additionally, with the use of light bulbs, more leisure activities became possible as homes installed electric appliances such as radios to listen to music, TVs to watch television and video game systems, in that way providing various entertainment options.
Bulbs have made it possible for different activities to continue effectively and efficiently. The lights gotten from them makes it possible for children and students to extend their studies from schools to at home, as they make reading and studying possible. In health institutions, the light bulbs enhance the efficiency of medical procedures such as surgeries by making it possible for doctors to conduct them at any time of the night.
In conclusion, the invention of light bulbs was a significant milestone in the world’s history due to immense contributions to society. Its uses in revolutionizing the night, extending work hours, stimulating leisure activities, endorsing safety and supporting the continuation of various activities make it a useful invention.
