People have always lit their homes. Candles and oil lamps are a few of the devices used to light homes in previous centuries. Today, however, artificial lighting almost exclusively means electrical light. In little over a century, we have become so accustomed to its brightness, convenience, and practicality that it is almost impossible to create any interior space without it.
When the celebrated American inventor, Thomas Edison, patented his incandescent light bulb in 1879, the electric age had well and truly arrived. Edison was not the first to come up with the idea of electric light, nor was his bulb the first patented design, but he was solely responsible for making this inspirational and revolutionary invention a successful and practical product. It might almost be true to say that Edison created a demand for electricity itself, by creating an electrical product that everyone suddenly wanted. It is small wonder that the light bulb has since come to symbolize the quintessential "bright idea."
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