Thomas Edison perfected the light bulb, developing a filament that could last over 1,500 hours. Humphry Davy was the first to produce electric light by connecting a battery to a piece of carbon, though his bulb only lasted 40 hours. Edison discovered a material suitable for long-lasting filaments by finding one that could withstand the heat produced when electricity passed through it.

1. Prince Witawat Puttipong Samabat

6. Bulb Type Wattage Lifetime (hours) Watt per Lumen (Efficiency) Comment Incandescent (traditional bulb) 60 1,000 15 Low cost, low efficiency White light-emitting diode (LED) 0.07 10,000 30 Offers color, high cost Compact fluorescent (CFL) 13 9,000 63 Moderate cost, glow Cold cathode fluorescent (CCFL) 9.9 40,000 n/a Extremely long life High-intensity discharge (HID) 18 14,000 100 Very bright, outdoor use