History of Lamps

Lamps date back to the 16^th century. They were invented as a source of light. The first lamps were made of either stone or clay and oil or fat was burned to produce an open flame used for lighting. Aimé Argand a Swiss chemist invented a lamp with a cylinder of glass around the flame to protect the flame from being blown out by the wind. The cylinder also alleviated any smoke from the flame. In the early 19^th century fuel became a common way to light a lamp. Whale oil was the chief fuel for lamps until the middle of the century when Kerosene was discovered. At that time Kerosene took over as the main fuel used to light lamps. It was inexpensive, safe, and clean. At the end of the 19^th century, oil and Kerosene both gave way to incandescent and florissant lighting for lamps.