The+Gas+Lamp+KRood


 * __The Gas Lamp__**
 * By: Kyle Rood**

The gas lamp was a revolutionary invention of the mid- 1800's. A man named William Murdock started toying around with coal gas, using it in a small factory for lighting. One of his employees named Samuel Clegg had bigger ideas for this form of lighting, so he started his own company and began installing gas lighting in homes, businesses, and even on street corners which in turn reduced crime rates. This form of lighting was 75% more efficient than oil lamps or candles.Gas lamps quickly became popular because of it's efficiency.

Gas lanterns work kind of like incandescent bulbs. Instead of electricity being the energy, the energy is gas being burned to produce heat. In a traditional lamp with an incandescent bulb, the electricity passes through the filament and produces light. In a gas lamp, the gas burns to create heat. This heat goes into a coil which glows from the heat. It is like a toaster, except the thing heating the coils is gas rather than electricity.

This new technology was revolutionary because it allowed factories to work 24 hours a day, and it lead to other technologies involving gas. Chemicals like ammonia, naphtha, and coal tar formed a base for a chemical industry. Coal tar was used to make waterproof rain jackets, and when combined with rock grits, was used to pave roads like the ones we drive on everyday. This radical new form of lighting allowed schools, homes, factories, streets, and shops to be lit far longer than they had previously, and the gas technology led to other things we use on a daily basis.

__**Bibliography **__

Burchill, Shirley, Nigel Hughes, Richard Gale, Peter Price, and Keith Woodall. "The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : Gas." The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : Gas. 2014. Accessed February 13, 2014. http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/051.html.

Brain, Marshall. "How Gas Lanterns Work." HowStuffWorks. Accessed February 13, 2014. http://home.howstuffworks.com/gas-lantern.htm.