Edison Electric Light Co

1877 Thomas Edison turned his attentions to electric lighting towards the end of 1877. He believed that commercially successful lighting needed to have similar characteristics to the existing gas lighting. His early experiments using carbonized paper and carbon were failures. The lamp usually cited as his first success was made on 19th October 1879 but the carbonized cotton used as the conductor was still very fragile. He later found that a particular type of Japanese bamboo was the most satisfactory.

Edison was not the first to patent the modern design of the light bulb. It seems that Joseph Swan demonstrated the same carbon filament light bulb in Newcastle at least ten months prior to Edison's announcement. In addition, Swan received a British patent in 1878 for the same bulb that Edison patented in the U. S. in 1879.

1878 Thomas Edison set up the Edison Electric Light Co in the USA

1882 Company established in London to control Edison's British patents; it was a subsidiary of Edison's American company.

1882 12 January: Demonstration of Edison's electric lighting at the company's offices at 57 High Holborn, London - see Edison's first public electricity generation station. Two engines were used to drive dynamos - one a Porter-Allen engine, the other an Armington and Sims engine.

On the formation of the company in London, Dr John Hopkinson became their electrical adviser, and in this capacity made a thorough experimental investigation of the Edison dynamo, which led to the great improvements in efficiency and increased output that were embodied in the Edison-Hopkinson dynamo.

Edison lost in the British courts for infringement of Swan's patent. As part of the settlement, Edison was forced to take Swan in as a partner in his British electric works. The company was called the Edison and Swan United Electric Light Co.

1883 Edison and Swan United Electric Light Co was established by the amalgamation of the Edison Electric Light Co and the Swan United Electric Light Co, and incorporated on 26 October. Eventually, Edison acquired all of Swan's interest in the company. It seemed the obvious choice to merge their British companies and join forces in developing the electric filament light.

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