The use of lighting systems to illuminate streets is said to have been recorded for the first time in the 9th and 10th centuries in the Arab Empire.
Following the Arab Empire was London, from the year of 1417, as a result of the order given by the Mayor Sir Henry Barton which called for lanterns to be hung outside on the streets during winter time, in the period in between the festivals of Hallow tide and Candle masse.
In the United States it was the efforts of the acclaimed inventor Benjamin Franklin that resulted in the system of street lights to be used in the United States for the first time.
Benjamin Franklin was the postmaster of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and for this reason, most people regard Philadelphia to be the origin of the concept of street lighting in the United States. In the colonial era, the street lights comprised of a glass vessel which contained a lighted candle.
The glass structure did not allow the blowing wind to blow out the candle flame. The street lamps as designed by Benjamin Franklin were four sided, constructed out of four separate panels of glass. This was an efficient design, especially in the context of damage caused to the lamps, for incase any of the glass panes broke, it was not necessary to reconstruct the entire lamp, as simply replacing one pane would be enough.
In the year of 1792, William Murdoch invented the gas lights. After this invention, gas began being used to light the street lamps in the cities of Britain. Following this development, in the year of 1816, the streets of Baltimore in the United States began using gas lighting for illuminating the pathways as well. The concept of gas lighting for powering street lamps became extremely popular, and in some places in the United States of America one can still view gas lamps on the streets sometimes.
With the invention of Thomas Edison, light bulbs began being incorporated as a part of street lighting as well. Cleveland in Ohio in the year of 1879 became the first city to make use of an electric lighting system to illuminate the street ways. Due to the safety hazards posed by fire based street lights, their popularity began decreasing and by the onset of the 20th century people began searching for newer, more effective and secure methods of street lighting.
In the period of the 1930s and the 1940s, with a flourishing automobile industry, the usage of incandescent and fluorescent street lights became extremely well-liked and popular. In New York City, the massive number of lights used to light up the Broadway theaters became an attraction of sorts and earned the moniker of "The Great White Way", a fitting tribute to the brilliant theater marquees lining the streets.
In the industry of street lighting there were two chief competitors, the Westinghouse Company and General Electric. There are several categories of luminaires that are used. One of these categories is the Unistyle Lumnaires which are recognized by their vaulted and arched apex and a front end which slopes forward. A very popular category of luminaires is the Silverline Luminaire. They have been remodeled and adapted to modern usage, and one of the new characteristics is a light grey coloring. They are also referred to as Greyliners.
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Tom Dahne
Learn about lighting, lights and how to light your home inside and out, just visit http://www.guideforlighting.com and http://www.linkdirectory.com
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