Numerous references from olden ages have illuminated the fact that lamps have been used to spread light, even before electricity was invented, and lighting was given a new meaning. The use of lamps can be broadly classified into two eras: The pre-electrical era and the post electrical era.
The Lamps Pre-electrical Era:
The invention and first usage of lamp can be dated back to 70,000 BC. At that time, there was no metal or bronze to make lamps instead the then civilization used hollow rocks and shells. These hollow rocks were filled with moss and other natural substances and then soaked in animal fat. Animal fat acted as oil and this is how the first lamps were ignited.
With the advent of pottery, and the bronze and copper age, humans started to make lamps that imitated other natural shapes. Wicks came into existence much later and were used for controlling the flame or the rate of burning. In the 7th century BC, Greeks started using terra cotta lamps, which replaced the handheld torches. The word “lamp” has been derived from the Greek word “lampas”, which means “torch”.
Lamp Design Change:
There was a major change in the design of lamps in the 18th century, when the central burner was invented. With the invention of the burner, a separate fuel source was made from metal. Another small change made was the addition of a metal tube that could be adjusted to control the intensity of the flame or light.
This was an important discovery in terms of lighting because with adjustment, humans were able to diminish the lighting or make it bright as required. Another aspect was added to the new lamp, which was in the form of small glass chimneys. The role of the glass chimney was to protect the flame as well as control the air flow.
Swiss chemist Ami Argand used the hollow circular wick in an oil lamp for the very first time in 1783.
Fuels for Lighting:
Different kinds of fuels have been used for lighting a lamp between 70,000 BC and now. Most of the early forms of fuel were beeswax, olive oil, animal fat, fish oil, sesame oil, whale oil, nut oil etc. These were also among the most commonly used forms of fuel for lighting a lamp till the late 18th century.
Around 1859, the first drilling process was initiated to find petroleum and with the advent of kerosene, which is a derivative of petroleum, lamp became more popular and usage increased. Kerosene enabled lighting was first introduced in Germany in 1853.
During the same time two other products were used for lamp lighting purposes and they were natural gas and coal. The first use of coal gas lamps was in 1784.
Electrical Lighting Lamps:
Lamps have actually come a long way from usage of coal gas to electricity. In 1801, Sir Humphrey Davy of England invented the electric carbon arc lamp, which was the first of its kind. The working principle for this lamp was simple and included hooking of two carbon rods to an electrical source.
The carbon rods were kept at a distance from each other so that electrical current could flow through the arc and thus vaporize carbon to create white lighting. Around 1857, A.E. Becquerel of France came out with the theory of fluorescent lighting in lamps. In the 1870’s, the unthinkable happened with Thomas Edison inventing the first electric incandescent lamp. Since then incandescent lamps were used for lighting purposes in homes till about the early 20th century.
In 1901, Peter Cooper Hewitt patented his new invention, the mercury vapor lamp. This was another type of arc lamp that enhanced lighting using mercury vapors, which were enclosed in a glass bulb. The Mercury vapor lamps set the prototype for fluorescent lighting lamps.
The Neon lamp was invented by Georges Claude of France in 1911 followed by Irving Langmuir, an American who invented the electric gas-filled incandescent lamp in 1915. In 1927, Hans Spanner, Friedrich Meyer, and Edmund Germer patented the first fluorescent lamp. The fluorescent lamps provided better lighting as compared to the mercury vapor lamps because they were coated from inside with beryllium.
Since then we have been using different form of lighting in lamps, which includes Mercury vapors, incandescent lamps and even today, in some corners of the earth people still use the old wick and oil lamp for lighting their homes.
译文:
灯：照明的历史
无数的史料清楚表明，在电的发明翻开历史的新篇章以前，灯一直是照明的工具。灯的使用大致分为两个时期：前电力时代和后电力后代。
前电力时代的灯：
灯最早的发明和使用可追溯到公元前7万年。那是，没有金属和铜可以用来制作灯，那时的人就用中空的石头和贝壳取而代之。这些中空的石头里被放满了苔藓和其他植物，然后浸在动物脂肪里。动物脂肪可以代替油，第一盏灯就是这么诞生的。
随着陶器时代、青铜时代和黄铜时代降临，人类开始模仿其他自然物体的造型制作灯具。灯芯出现得比较晚，是用于控制火焰大小和燃烧的速度。公元前7世纪，希腊人开始用陶器灯代替手持的火把。lamp这个单词来源于希腊文中的lampas，意思是火把。
灯具设计的变迁：
18世纪灯具的样式出现了重大变化，中央燃烧器发明了。随着这项发明的诞生，一种独立的燃料也从金属中提取出来。另一个细小的变化是加入了金属管调节灯火的亮度。
这是照明史上的重大发现，因为有了调节装置，人类就可以根据需求减弱或增强亮度。新的灯具还有另一个变化没那就是有了玻璃灯罩。灯罩的作用是保护火焰，控制空气流动。
瑞士化学家Ami Argand于1783年首次在油灯中使用中空的环状灯芯。
照明燃料：
公元前7万年至今，出现了各种各样燃料。早期的主要是蜂蜡、橄榄油、动物脂肪、鱼油、芝麻油、鲸油、坚果油等等。直到18世纪晚期，这些都是最常用的燃料。
1859年左右，首次钻探发现了石油，同时随着石油的衍生物——煤油的出现，灯具大受欢迎，更加常用了。1853年在德国首次引入煤油照明。
同期有量外两种照明燃料出现，天然气和煤。1784年，首次使用煤气作灯的燃料。
电灯：
从煤气电力，灯具的发展经过了一段漫长的等待。1801年，英国的Humphrey Davy发明了电弧灯，是同类中的先驱。这种灯的工作原理很简单，是将两根碳棒和电源连在一起。
两根碳棒间有一定距离，这样电流会通过一个弧线，如此蒸发的碳产生白光。1857年，法国的A.E. Becquerel 提出了荧光照明的理论。19世纪70年代，谁都没有料到，爱迪生发明了第一盏白炽灯。从此以后，白炽灯直到20世纪前期都是家庭照明的工具。
1901年，Peter Cooper Hewitt为他的新发明——水银蒸汽灯申请了专利。这是两一种弧灯，用玻璃灯泡中水银蒸汽产生光。水银蒸汽灯是日光灯的雏形。
1911年法国的Georges Claude发明了霓虹灯，此后在1915年，一个美国人发明了气体
白炽灯。1927年，Hans Spanner, Friedrich Meyer, 和Edmund Germer 申请了第一盏日光灯的专利。日光灯比水银灯的光照效果更好，因为它从里到外涂上了铍。
从那以后，我们开始使用各种灯具，包括水银灯白炽灯和白炽灯，直到今天，地球上某些地方的人们在家中还使用着老式的灯芯和油灯。