Not a lot changed until the late eighteenth century when the expansion of the mining industry led to experiments with uses for coal gas - one of which was as an alternative source of illumination . One of the pioneers of research in the coal industry - Humphrey Davy - invented the carbon arc lamp and ushered in a new era of safety within the mines - but also opened the door to alternative forms of domestic illumination and the era of gas lighting began
But it was not until the middle of the following century that researchers began to explore the possibilities of using a new power source and some new physical effects . Experiments by Joseph Swann in England and Farmer in the USA ( amongst others ) led to the development of a device in which a tiny metal filament enclosed within a glass envelope was heated to incandescence by an electric current. This was the first electric light bulb - and it still bears more than a passing resemblance to the product found hanging from millions of ceilings all around the world.