Who invented the Light Bulb?

Question

Who invented the Light Bulb?

1. A. Thomas Edison (Correct answer)
2. B. Eli Whitley
3. C. Alister Hardy
4. D. Michael Faraday

Correct Answer

Option A — Thomas Edison

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Thomas Edison.

Key Points

• Thomas Edison invented the first practical incandescent light bulb in 1879.
• While others worked on earlier versions, Edison developed the long-lasting carbon filament bulb suitable for commercial use.

Additional Information

• Thomas Edison produced the first commercially practical incandescent bulb in 1879, using a carbon filament and a workable vacuum.
• He was building on earlier work — Humphry Davy's arc lamp and Joseph Swan's parallel experiments in Britain — so his contribution was practicality and longevity rather than the bare idea.
• Edison held over a thousand patents, including the phonograph and the motion-picture camera, and founded the Menlo Park research laboratory.
• Incandescent bulbs waste most of their energy as heat, which is why CFLs and now LEDs have replaced them.