In today’s world it is easy to take it for granted that we can turn lights on just by flipping a switch, or that we can walk outside at any time of the night without having to stumble down pitch black streets. In cities, no matter how late it is, there is always entertainment and restaurants and shops open. As natural as the perfectly illuminated cities now feel, it wasn’t always the case. In 1878 during the Paris World’s Fair around 64 “Yablochkov candles”, arc lamps that Pavel Nikolayevich Yablochkov invented three years earlier, were installed on the Avenue de l’Opéra, Plade du Théâtre Francais and around the Place de l’Opéra in to lit up the city of Paris. Arc lamps were ideal for illuminating streets and outdoor spaces because of their bright and intense light. The event in Paris was so successful that it started a series of important…
View original post 1,266 more words
