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The electric light bulb has influenced the world greatly. Today, they are everywhere. When you walk into a room, the first thing you do is put your hand on the wall to find the light switch. However, it wasn't really so long ago that nighttime meant most activities came to a stop. Light bulbs have changed the way we work and play. Where did this amazing invention come from?
Most of us were taught that American Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879. This is not true because electric light had been around since the early 1800s. Edison just made it better and created bulbs that would glow for over 1,500 hours. These incandescent light bulbs produce light when the thin wires inside are heated to high temperatures. They give off a warm, yellow light, but they are not energy efficient.
Over the years, incandescent bulbs have been replaced by other types of electric lights. The most common are fluorescent lights. These produce light by using electricity to excite a special gas inside the tubes. They create a cool, blue light and are more energy efficient. However, the world is now turning to LEDs.
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