8 The Better to See You With 1874

“Mr Watson, come here. I want to see you.” These are the famous first words ever said on the telephone, spoken by it's inventor Alexander Graham Bell, to his assistant, Thomas Watson.

The earliest people in the world put animal fats into stones to make a light at night. When they made the fat burn, it gave them some light inside their caves. Later, people made candles from wax and used these to see when the sun went down. In Canada and other parts of the world, in the 1800s, most people carried lamps that burned kerosene gas at night. These lamps smelled bad and made smoke. Many people were trying to find a better way to make lights at night.

AN EARLY LIGHT BULB

Henry Woodward and Matthew Evans were the first to make an incandescent light bulb that everyone could use. Their invention happened because other scientists had worked on this problem for about 50 years before them.

In 1809, an English chemist invented the first ever electric light. It was called the arc light. The arc light was so bright that it was too strong to use in small spaces like people's houses. It was used on streets, in large buildings, and for movies. Others made light bulbs that worked, but either they cost too much money to make or they did not burn for long enough. It may be that a German made the first incandescent light bulb and used it in Germany, but no one is sure.

It is certain that in 1874, Henry and Matthew were given a patent for their incandescent light bulb in Canada. Two years later they also got these same legal rights to their light bulb in the USA. These two Canadian men had made the first light bulb of its type in North America.

Henry was born in Canada and studied medicine in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew was born in England, but immigrated to Canada as a child. Matthew worked as a doorman at a hotel in Toronto. When Henry was a student, he rented a room to live in at the hotel where Matthew worked. The two became friends when they found out that they both loved to try new things using electricity.

In their free time, Henry and Matthew tried to understand how electricity worked. They wanted to know how electricity made light. The two men spent long hours studying this. First, they used two wires and put a thin piece of carbon between them. Then they ran electricity through the wires. One evening in 1873, when it was getting dark, the two men saw a small light on one of the wires. Matthew was surprised when he took out his watch and read the time using just this small light.

When they passed electricity through the wires, the carbon burned and made light. The carbon burned very fast though and soon the light was gone. Henry told Matthew that if they could find a way to put this into glass, they would have an invention that would change people's lives.

Henry and Matthew used the glass tube from an old water measuring tool. They put the two wires with the carbon inside. They blocked the ends and then took all the air out of the glass. This would stop the carbon from burning fast. Then they put nitrogen gas inside the glass. They passed electricity through the wires. This heated up the carbon which made a light. The carbon did not burn up quickly because of the nitrogen gas.

Matthew, Henry, and about three other people were sitting around a large table when they first tested the light bulb. The carbon got hot and at first, it burned red. Then it got lighter and lighter in colour until it was a white light. Matthew and Henry were very excited. They named their light bulb the Woodward and Evans Electric Light.

The light in their light bulb was not strong, but it had a long life. Matthew and Henry knew they had made a light bulb that everyone could use in their homes. They started a company called The Electrical World. However, it is not enough to make something new. They needed money to advertise it.

Henry and Matthew looked for people with money to help them sell their light bulbs. When people saw their light bulb they did not like it. They laughed at Henry and Matthew. People said they were stupid. They said their light bulb was useless. No one would give their company any money. Henry and Matthew sold their patent to Thomas Edison in 1899 because their company had no money to market their light bulb. They got US$5,000 which is about US$110,000 today.

Henry was very angry that no one thought his light bulb was important. He immigrated to England and worked as a medical doctor. Matthew said that “The inventor never gets the reward of his labour.” Matthew was not heard of again, but we know he died in 1899.

Thomas Edison knew a good thing when he saw it, though. He went on to create a huge electricity company in the USA. He is often said to have invented the light bulb, but Canadians know better.