But you are using one of the greatest inventions ever made. The light bulb led to new energy breakthroughs — from power plants and electric transmission lines to home appliances and electric motors.

Hello, and welcome back to This Week in History! Writing this column always feels like an adventure, especially after returning from nearly a two-month break.

Swan continued to develop his invention and in 1880 his friend William Armstrong's house at Cragside, near Rothbury in Northumberland, was the first private home to be lit by electric light bulbs.

and chemical applications were a central theme in many of his inventions, including the carbon filaments used in light bulbs, development of the nickel-iron alkaline electric storage battery, and ...