November 7th, 1899:
The electric flash-lamp was invented by Joshua Cohen (a.k.a. Joshua Lionel Cohen of Lionel toy train fame) in 1899. It was granted U.S. patent number 636,492 on November 7th of that year.
The flash of bright light from the flash-lamp was used for indoor photography in the late nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century.
The principle of operation of the electrical flash-lamp is linked to the shutter of an early box camera: tripping the shutter ignites the flash powder and releases the potential energy of the exploding powder, causing a bright flash for indoor photography.
Featured image courtesy of Science Photo Library & Photo Memorabilia.
