Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

post_break•17 minutes ago

I wish these could be made with something non toxic. Having one on my desk to shake would be a great fidget spinner.

fhdkweig•24 minutes ago

For those who want to read the wiki article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometric_light

ck2•about 4 hours ago

for a moment I thought this was going to be about arc-lights in the 1800s that mechanically touch electrodes and then draw apart

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_lamp

it's amazing how far we've come

think about Benjamin Franklin twenty-five years before Declaration of Independence naming the first "battery" (out of the concept of lined-up artillery) by connecting a series of lynden jars (basically capacitors) - he also invented the concept of +/- positive and negative

now we've got space telescopes and probes leaving the solar system

imagine what's coming in another 300 years

ambicapter•about 4 hours ago

> naming the first "battery" (out of the concept of lined-up artillery)

That's an amazing fun fact.

throwway120385•about 3 hours ago

Another fun fact is that it was impossible to deduce from any of Ben Franklin's experiments what material was transferred and what material remained in place to give rise to "charge" as we think of it. So he picked a convention that we've continued to use even after we learned that his negative charges were the material that gets transferred by friction.

ck2•about 2 hours ago

somewhat more "fun" and impressive (despite useless) are "Franklin Bells" which way before anyone figured out electric motors, was the first example of electricity to mechanical energy

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_bells

of course incredibly crude

(imagine showing a paperclip motor to someone in 1750 https://player.vimeo.com/video/120255518 )

but it must be said, as genius as Franklin was, sadly he bears the original sin of owning slaves EVEN AS AN ABOLITIONIST and didn't free them until after his death (via will) - it's more than a little f-ed up

Andrew_nenakhov•about 1 hour ago

> but it must be said, as genius as Franklin was, sadly ..

Some people can't help themselves from bringing irrelevant facts to the conversation.

WalterBright•about 1 hour ago

People are better judged by the mores of their time, not our time.

Besides, without Franklin, there would be no United States, the free-est country in history.

helterskelter•about 2 hours ago

Franklin also invented the lightning rod, something which we take for granted these days.

Mechanical light bulb from 1675 [video]

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