By: Basheer Mossallam

 William Murdoch was the first to discover the idea for gas lighting.  Fredrick Winzer was the first to patent the gas lighting.  Samuel Clegg started the first gas lighting company, “The Gas Light and Coke Company.”

 The idea was discovered in the 1790’s.  The first patent was made in  The first company was started in 1812.

 William Murdoch founded the idea in Birmingham, England.  Fredrick Winsor made the first patent on gas lights in London.  The Gas Light and Coke Company started in Westminster, London.

 To fuel the gas lighting, coal was the most popular source of power. Before coal, oil and sometimes carbon was used, but coal was found to be much more efficient.

 Gas powered lighting was used for better illumination on roads and houses.  It was found to be more efficient and reliable then the old oil filled lamps.  Coal was pretty common at the time, making it very easy to fuel and power.

 In 1816, gas lighting spread to Baltimore, Maryland, making it the first city in the United States to adopt the idea.  The most common way gas lighting spread was through ships and telegram communication, where messages talking about the new source of lighting was being sent.

 Spread in popularity after Civil War.  By 1870’s they were the major source of street lighting in the U.S.  Because of the better illumination, transportation became safer at night.

 The era of gas lighting finally ended around 1910 when William Coolidge invented a tungsten-filament lamp capable of giving 10 lumens per watt.  A lumen is the measurement of how much light is being given.  This was one of the major leading causes of the era of electrical lighting.