Science and technology in the United States finish. For example, the British engineer Joseph Swan built an incandescent electric lamp in 1860, almost 20 years before Edison. But Edison's light bulbs lasted much longer than Swan's, and they could be turned on and off individually, while Swan's bulbs could be used only in a system where several lights were turned on or off at the same time. Edison followed up his improvement of the light bulb with the development of electrical generating systems. Within 30 years, his inventions had introduced electric lighting into millions of homes. Another landmark application of scientific ideas to practical uses was the
Henry Woodward (inventor) necessary components to make the first practical electric light bulb. What is known about Woodward's discovery is that it was patented in Canada and the United States prior to a patent being granted to Edison and it is known that the patent for the Canadian discovery was purchased by Edison when he was making his original investigations and before he obtained his patent. Ricketts, Bruce. The First Electric Light Bulb Henry Woodward (inventor) Henry Woodward was a Canadian inventor and a major pioneer in the development of the incandescent lamp. On July 24, 1874, Woodward and his partner, Mathew Evans,