Fluorescent technology helped lighting to enter the modern age. The first patent for a fluorescent lamp was filed on April 22, 1936, by George E. Inman of General Electric (GE) Lighting. Inman and co-inventor Richard Thayer headed a research group at GE’s Nela Park laboratories outside of Cleveland. A second GE research group, under the direction of Philip J. Pritchard, was established to develop the equipment needed to manufacturer these new lamps; other groups in the company were called on to develop the appropriate ballasts and circuit design.
At the same time, other U.S. manufacturers such as Westinghouse and Sylvania had also started to research fluorescent technologies, as had European lighting manufacturers such as Dutch company Philips. In 1939, the fluorescent lamp was publicly displayed by GE at the New York World’s Fair and by Westinghouse at the Golden Gate Exposition in San Francisco.
Linear fluorescent lighting technology evolved from T12s and T8s to today’s T5s and T5HOs. LED replacements for fluorescent have yet to prove themselves, and for a number of lighting applications, fluorescent remains a viable option based on performance, lamp-life, and cost.
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