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March 7, 2016

Let There Be Light Bulbs: How Incandescents Became the Icons of Innovation

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The final problem was preventing the wires connecting the filament to a power source from cracking the glass bulb near their point of entry.
“As the glass heated and cooled around those wires, it would crack and destroy the vacuum, dramatically reducing the life of these lamps,” Jenkins explains. “Edison’s first bulbs only burned 15 hours anyway, so it wasn’t an issue for those. Later, his researchers realized that the electrical resistance of platinum is significantly lower than copper, so there is much less heat produced. They figured if they used platinum, there would be less expansion and contraction, so maybe they wouldn’t crack.” Sure enough, platinum lead-in wires solved the problem.| Collectors Weekly

Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 7, 2016 9:04 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.

Your Say

And now they are gone, outlawed in favor of "eco-friendly" fluorescents - which cost 10x as much, last 1/10th as long, and fill the planet with mercury when they're thrown away.

Cui bono, one feels it necessary to ask.

Posted by: Rob De Witt [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 7, 2016 2:03 PM

I believe GE made the largest haul on that crime. One of the most outrageous rip offs up to the global warming scam.

Posted by: Terry [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 7, 2016 3:11 PM

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