Illuminating the Last Remaining Wonder of the Ancient World: The Pyramids of Giza
For more than 4,500 years, the Great Pyramid of Giza has stood as one of humanity’s most extraordinary engineering achievements.
Howard Brandston: A Legendary Figure in the Field of Modern Architectural Lighting Design
If you’ve spent any time in the world of architectural lighting in the last 5 decades, you’ve heard the name
“The Illuminating Engineer”: A Journal That Helped Define a Profession
Long before today’s lighting professionals could flip through polished issues of Lighting Design + Application or academic volumes of the Journal of the
Daniel McFarlan Moore and the Moore Tubes
The story of early electric lighting is often dominated by incandescent carbon-filament bulbs and, later, by the emergence of fluorescent
Radiant History
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) is Founded
The lighting industry professional society was founded in New York City on January 10, 1906 with the mission to improve the lighted environment by bringing together those with lighting knowledge and by translating that knowledge
Edison Demonstrates Incandescent Electric Light
In his first public demonstration of his incandescent light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison lit up a street in Menlo Park, New Jersey. This catapulted America, and ultimately the world, into the modern age of the
New Years Eve in Times Square: A History of the Famous Ball Drop
There are very few objects that captivate the imagination for a specific date and place each year like the famous ball drop at the “crossroads of the world” on New Year’s Eve. Throngs of people
The Sparkling History of Christmas Lights
Oh, the weather outside is frightful… but the sparkling lights are so delightful! As the air turns crisp and the first flakes of winter start to fall, homes and cities around the world begin to
The Edison Screw Base Transforms the Lamp Industry
Named after its inventor Thomas Edison, the Edison Screw Base was patented in 1881 and became the most popular light bulb base in America. The base is a right-hand threaded metal base which screws into
The Lighted Globe at Reunion Tower Transforms the Dallas Skyline
Reunion Tower, also known locally as "The Ball," was completed on February 2, 1978, and instantly transformed the Dallas skyline - especially at night thanks to its 130 watt incandescent light bulbs that encircled the
The Gas Man: Sir William Ramsey, the Father of Noble Gases
Sir William Ramsey, a pioneering chemist and Nobel laureate, is often hailed as the father of noble gases. His groundbreaking work in isolating and characterizing these unique elements revolutionized the field of chemistry and solidified
Refining Microscopy: Kohler Illumination
Often times, the technological advancements in lighting come from the developments in new and innovative products. However, they also come from the application of light that make new products and new discoveries possible. One tool
The Eiffel Tower’s Beacon & Sparkles Light Up A New Millennium
At midnight on December 31, 1999, one of the World’s most famous attractions debuted a new lighting feature that would draw even more attention to the Parisian landmark. The Eiffel Tower, from that moment forward,
The Bronze Age: The History of Indoor Tanning Lamps
Humans have had an enduring fascination with tanned skin for years. It is well documented and dates back to the earliest of civilizations. It is said that ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans used to use
