In 1802 Davy had what was then the most powerful battery in the world at the one of the instituions of Great Britain. In that year he created the first incandescent light by passing the current through a thin strip of platinum, chosen because the metal had an extremely high melting point. It was not bright enough nor did it last long enough to be practical, but it was the precedent behind the efforts of scores of experimenters over the next 75 years until Edison's creation of the first practical incandescent lamp in 1879. In 1809 Davy created the first lamp arcby making a small but blinding electrical connection between two coal rods connected to a 2000 cell battery. Demonstrated to the Royal Institution in 1810, the invention came to be known as the Arclamp
In 1835 James demonstrated a constant electric light at a public meeting in Dundee, Scotland. He stated that he could "read a book at a distance of one and a half feet". However, having perfected the device to his own satisfaction, he turned to the problem of telegraphy that were wireless and did not develop the electric light any further. His claims are not well documented.
In 1840, British scientist Warren enclosed a coil of platinum in a no air tube and passed an electrical current through it. The design was based on the concept that the high point of melting of platinum would allow it to operate at high temperatures and that the evacuated chamber would contain fewer gas molecules to react with the platinum, improving its longevity. Although an efficient design, the cost of the platinum made it impractical for commercial use.
In 1841 Frederick de Moleyns of England was granted the first patent for an incandescent lamp, with a design using powdered coal heated between two platinum wires contained within a vacuum bulb.
In 1845 American John Wellington Starr acquired a patent for his own incandescent light bulb involving the use of carbon filaments. He died shortly after obtaining the patent. Aside from the information contained in the patent itself, little else is known about him.
In 1851 Jean publicly demonstrated incandescent light bulbs on his estate in Blois, France. His light bulbs are on permanent display in the museum of the Chateau of Blois.
In 1872 Alexander invented an incandescent light bulb. In 1874 he got a patent for his invention.
In a suit filed by rivals seeking to get around Edison's lightbulb patent, the German-American inventor Heinrich claimed he had developed the first light bulb in 1854: a carbonized stick of bamboo filament, in a vacuum bottle to prevent oxidation, and that in the following five years he developed what many call the first practical light bulb. Lewis demonstrated that the bulbs Göbel had purportedly built in the 1850s had actually been built much later, and actually found the glassblower who had constructed the fraudulent exhibits for Göbel. In a patent interference suit in 1893, the judge ruled that Göbel's claim was "extremely improbable."
