Thomas Edison s bright idea Jan 27, 2020

Thomas Edison s bright idea

On January 27, 1880, Thomas Edison received a patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected to platina contact wires." This wasn"t exactly the first light bulb, but it was the first practical and inexpensive one, a key technological innovation that introduced a new era. To mark the day, we"re looking at the bright lights of New York City and its surrounding area, as seen from the International Space Station.

© NASA Photo/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Jan 27, 2018Bioluminescence at Trwyn Du Lighthouse in Wales
Jan 27, 2019A memorial in Germany
Jan 27, 2021A dramatic view of Sicily
Jan 27, 2022Bluespotted ribbontail ray
Jan 27, 2023Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
Jan 27, 2024St. Paul Winter Carnival
Jan 27, 2025Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Jan 27, 2026Dalmatian pelicans, Lake Kerkini, Greece

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Nov 15, 2024Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Sep 17, 2021Eye of the cave
Jan 14, 2024Whooper swans in Lake Kussharo, Japan
Jun 20, 2025Summer solstice
Jul 25, 2025Colorful houses of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Jun 28, 2023Pride Month
May 25, 2019Traveling warblers
Sep 5, 2023Mount Segla, Senja Island, Norway
Jul 25, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Jul 11, 2025World Population Day
Sep 17, 2020Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
May 1, 2020It s Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska
Apr 2, 2025Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah
Jan 8, 2020Take the stairs
Aug 20, 2022World Honey Bee Day
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
Sep 8, 2024International Literacy Day
Apr 25, 2026World Penguin Day
Jul 4, 2019It s Independence Day
Feb 20, 2020Après-ski in the Dolomites
Dec 17, 2019When in Rome...celebrate Saturnalia
Jan 20, 2023Penguin Awareness Day
Jan 11, 2019Life in a North African town
Dec 30, 2024Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Jun 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
Dec 30, 2023Daiichi Tadami River Bridge, Fukushima, Japan
Jul 2, 2018Keep watching the skies
Feb 1, 2024Black History Month