tubes we know today were
developed over the centuries,
originating from an experiment
dating back to 1675. The French
astronomer Jean Picard noticed
small amounts of light glowing from
the mercury barometer tubes in his
experiment. When he shook the
tubes, the glow increased. Today,
we know the light as “barometric
light” and is caused by static
electricity. More investigation
followed, and with the invention of
electricity, experimentation with
lighting only increased.
The next major advance came in 1857, when Heinrich Geissler, developed
the geissler tube. The science behind the geissler tube is simple. Different gasses
were placed in glass tubes, and electric voltage was applied. Under the
voltage, the gasses glowed brightly. With the invention of electrical generators,
other scientists examined the application of electric power to these gas filled
tubes. From 1900 on, many different variations of electric discharge lamps and
vapor lamps were created across Europe and the US.
Around 1902, the French engineer, chemist and inventor, Georges Claude
started filling these tubes with neon gas to create lamps. On December 11th,
1910, Claude displayed his new lamp to the Paris public. Claude’s neon lamps
were introduced to the US in 1923, when he sold two of his lamps to a Packard
car dealership in Los Angeles. The lamps, which formed the word “Packard,”
sold for $24,000. The idea of neon lamps for advertising quickly spread.
