AU
  
You are currently viewing the Australia version of the site.
Would you like to switch to your local site?
21 MIN READ TIME

Time Capsule: 1879

EDISON HAS HIS LIGHT-BULB MOMENT

After months of failures and disappointments, on 21 October 1879, inventor Tomas Edison finally achieved a successful test of his electric light bulb. His wasn’t the first electric light but, by using a carbon filament, his lasted the longest – 13 hours – and required less power, making it more practical. Edison filed a patent for the first commercially practical and incandescent light, with gas lighting slowly becoming redundant. Finally the world was lifted out of the darkness and into the modern era.

ALAMY X1, AKG IMAGES X1, GETTY X6
Unlock this article and much more with
You can enjoy:
Enjoy this edition in full
Instant access to 600+ titles
Thousands of back issues
No contract or commitment
Try for $1.48
SUBSCRIBE NOW
30 day trial, then just $14.99 / month. Cancel anytime. New subscribers only.


Learn more
Pocketmags Plus
Pocketmags Plus

This article is from...


View Issues
BBC History Revealed Magazine
January 2019
VIEW IN STORE

Other Articles in this Issue


Editor’s Letter
The times they were a-changin’
Today Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara is best known as one of
REWIND
Snapshots
A young Winston Churchill, then Home Secretary, observes the Sidney
History in the News
Amummified woman whose remains date back 3,000 years has been
Time Piece
A look at everyday objects from the past
History in Colour
Colourised photographs that bring the past to life
Your History
The veteran politician – former leader of the Liberal Democrats,
Yesterday’s Papers
Another timeless front page from the archives
This Month In... 1492
Anniversaries that have made history
Graphic History
The crowning jewel of Indian architecture appears palatial – but
FEATURES
Elizabeth I vs Mary, Queen of Scots
The rivalry between the two queens was marked by imprisonment, escape and execution. Tracy Borman explains how personal and political ambition ignored their shared bloodlines
Constantine the Great
Constantine I wasn’t only the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, but also a ruler who unified and hugely strengthened the empire. Philip Matyszak evaluates the achievements of the man seen as the first modern European
Laurel and Hardy’s Tragic Final Tour
As Stan & Ollie, starring Steve Coogan and John C Reilly, hits the cinemas, Jonny Wilkes shines a spotlight on what really happened on the 1953 theatre tour by history’s greatest double act
Top 10: Weird Remedies
Unpalatable, outlandish and often fatal, these are medical cures of yesteryear you’d hope never to be prescribed
The Cuban Revolution
Sixty years ago, Fidel Castro’s victorious revolutionaries arrived in Havana. Nige Tassell revisits an armed rebellion that brought communism within 90 miles of the Florida coast
London’s Little Ice Age
Whenever the River Tames froze over, Londoners would take to the ice for the ultimate winter wonderland: the frost fair. Yet the carnival atmosphere was cold comfort to those who relied on the river to live, writes Sandra Lawrence
Q&A
Ask the Experts
When a Chinese ship arrived at Tanegashima in 1543, the
ON OUR RADAR
What’s On
A guide to what’s happening in the world of history over the coming weeks
Britain’s Treasures
Famed for its grand towers and vast moats, Caerphilly is a castle plucked from a child’s imagination, and one that ushered in a new age of castle building
Books
This month’s best historical reads
Postcards from the Past
Send your historical landmark pics to photos@historyrevealed.com message us on Facebook or use #historyrevpostcards on Twitter and Instagram
EVERY ISSUE
Letters
Get in touch – share your opinions on history and our magazine
Photo Finish
During the landing of its second transatlantic crossing, the German