I just finished my new book “Eureka!”. It’s about those

dramatic moments in history when a new product or process was first discovered

(If you would like a copy, email me at [email protected]). One of the inventions that was not made

in the book was the fluorescent lamp (or tube). That doesn’t mean it isn’t

a fascinating story – it certainly is. The problem is that there is no great

Eureka time. Arguably, the fluorescent lamp was never

really invented at all, but which evolved over time.

The creation of the fluorescent lamp was a true joint effort that spanned a

century: Here are the milestones:

1675: Jean Picard, a French astronomer, noticed that mercury in a barometer

the tube would glow when shaken. He recorded this observation but did not understand

he

1846 – Julius Plücker, German mathematician and physicist, theorizes and

experimented with colored light produced by passing electricity through various

gases. He worked with the glass blower Heinrich Geissler, who invented what was

known as the Geissler tube in which the experiments were performed.

1850s: Heinrich Geissler continued to develop light-emitting tubes.

1857: Frenchman Alexandre Edmond Becquerel experimented with electricity

discharge tubes lined on the inside with various luminescent materials

1868: Becquerel publishes his historical treatise Light, its causes and effects.

1893 Nikola Tesla, originally from Serbia, developed fluorescent light

using high frequency lighting ballasts

1894 Daniel McFarlane Moore, an American inventor creates the gas discharge lamp

using carbon dioxide and nitrogen to produce white and pink light respectively

1901: Serial inventor Peter Cooper Hewitt of New York, invented mercury

steam lamp For the first time fluorescent lamps were produced

commercially, albeit on a small scale.

1926: Edmund Germer, Friedrich Meyer and Hans J. Spanner – all from Germany –

succeeded in producing a fluorescent tube with higher gas pressure and a fluorescent

inner lining that converts ultraviolet light into visible white light.

1938: Having purchased Edmund Germer’s patent, General Electric mass

produced fluorescent lamps.

1974: GE Lighting invented the energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb

How does it work?

First you need a glass tube that has a small amount of a certain gas in it and something

sealed mercury inside, and nothing else. The gas will be argon or neon or whatever

from a number of other gases (each producing its own unique color). Electricity

passed from one end of the tube to the other. The passing electrons

it ionizes the atoms in the mixture and causes it to emit ultraviolet light. Tea

the output of electricity must be limited before it can pass, using a choke or

ballast. Without this limiting factor, fluorescent tubes could explode! By

Rather, a high voltage is required for the entire process to start. when the

the lamp is lit for the first time, a starter is used to provide this

“kick start”. The starter can be an integral part of the construction of the lamp.

and may be automatic or may be a separate unit, usually a small socket that

rotates into position.

The fluorescent lamp has come a long way since the first reflections of Jean Picard

to today’s energy efficient lamps. They are used in many applications. One

of these applications is the fly-killing machine. Use of fly swatters

ultraviolet fluorescent tubes that attract flies to trap and kill them

them. Each UV bulb comes complete with a starter and choke.