Not long ago, as night fell, the cities, towns and homes of the world also fell into darkness. Lit by candles, oil lamps, gas lamps and open flames, the light extinguished by these flames was not very bright and also had the disadvantage of producing fumes, fumes and ashes. “Electric lighting was little more than a novelty for the wealthy and had only small-scale applications where only a few bulbs would be needed.” (Plan 11) If we think about our dependence on electricity today, it becomes difficult to imagine the world as we know it without it. Our cars, computers, cell phones, almost every facet of our modern life involves electricity. He was just a young scientist; Thomas Alva Edison had the idea of ​​creating a light bulb with a corresponding electrical system, making it possible to design affordable electricity and lighting. So, with the help of his fellow scientists and not to mention some controversy, Edison worked tirelessly in his Menlo Park laboratory. to bring electricity to America and the world. “Edison began tinkering with electric light in November 1877, but he was not the first to invent the incandescent light bulb. In fact, for some forty years before Edison's attempt, inventors around the world, from France and England to Russia and America, had all attempted to produce a light bulb capable of illuminating strongly while being safe. (Jones 55) Most achieved the same results. A working model that would burn out too quickly, was unsafe, or produced light that was too dim or too bright. Edison's early attempts also resulted in the same type of results. He experimented with incandescent and arc lighting. The ark lights required a large amount of electricity to pass between the electrodes and...... middle of paper ......: The fascinating stories behind the great inventions that changed our lives. New York, NY: Harer Collins Publishers, Inc., 1992. Print. Jones, Jill. Empire of Enlightenment: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and the race to electrify the world. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2003. Print. Lienhard, John H. "Electric Lights Before Edison." University of Houston, 1998. Web. March 8, 2011. Rose, Mark H. Cities of light and heat: domesticating gas and electricity in American urban areas. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995. Google Books. Internet. March 8, 2011 Stross, Randall E. The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World. 1st ed. New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007. Print. United States. United States National Park Service. , 2010. The web. March 7. 2011. .