愛迪生 (Thomas Edison) 於1879年12月31日首次公開展示他的電燈泡

現在你只要打開開關，就可以打開電燈，你能想像在電燈發明之前的日子嗎？如果電燈到現在都還沒被發明，你的生活會有什麼樣的影響呢？在1870年代，許多發明家都致力於製作照明設備，主要是設計發亮的電弧。這種照明系統是把光源連結到一圈一圈的回路之上，所以如果有一個迴圈壞掉了，那麼整個設備也壞了。愛迪生自豪的說他將會創造一個安全、可靠，而且便宜的電燈，來取代瓦斯燈。


Can you imagine what life was like before you could simply flip a switch and turn on a light? How would not having electric light affect the way you live your life? In the 1870s, many inventors were working on creating lighting devices, but until Edison became involved, what existed was electric arc lighting. This kind of lighting system was one in which lights were connected in a series circuit, so if one failed, the whole circuit failed. Edison boasted that he would create a safe, reliable, and inexpensive electric light that would replace gaslight.

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