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
War of the currents judge rolled back part of Westinghouse's original Gaulard Gibbs patent, stating it only covered transformers linked in series. With the help of the financier Henry Villard the Edison group of companies also went through a series of mergers: "Edison Lamp Company", a lamp manufacturer in East Newark, New Jersey; "Edison Machine Works", a manufacturer of dynamos and large electric motors in Schenectady, New York; "Bergmann & Company", a manufacturer of electric lighting fixtures, sockets, and other electric lighting devices; and "Edison Electric Light Company", the patent-holding company and the financial arm backed by J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilt family for