Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?
If we remember anything from elementary school, it’s that Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb (not to mention the fantabulous kinetoscope). However, newly discovered evidence casts a shadow over this widely known bit of trivia. As it turns out, an unassuming German watchmaker by the name of Heinrich Göbel actually invented the first “modern” light bulb in 1854, a full 26 years before the great American inventor. Edison received the patent on January 27, 1880, and history has kept his name alive even though his idea was not unique.
