How Has Been the Journey of Neon Signs-

How Has Been the Journey of Neon Signs?

Neon signs that amaze us today were discovered more than hundred years ago. It is indeed interesting to know about the journey of the gleaming neon lights all over these years.

Neon signs are the glowing tubes containing neon or any other inert gas. These startling things that are used today in variety of designs were in their nascent stage exactly 100 of years ago. A series of inventions in the 19 th century contributed towards the invention of neon lights and neon signs that passed through various developments in the 20 th century. The following discussion highlights the main events of the history of neon signs.

Discovery of Electric Discharge Lamps

Neon lights belong to the class of electric discharge lamps which were discovered throughout the 19 th century. Heinrich Geissler was a German physicist who discovered the geissler tube in 1855. The tube had the capability to glow when placed under low pressure and through an electric discharge. So, the electric discharge lamps were discovered in different varieties and using different gases by the end of the 19 th century.

Discovery of Neon

It was in 1898 that William Ramsey and M. W. Travers discovered neon in London . The gas present in the air is obtained through liquefaction of air and fractional distillation. The name of the gas was taken from ��neos', the Greek word that translates to ��the new gas.'

Discovery of Neon Signs

There are many stories about the first use of neon signs. However, the most legitimate story credits Georges Claude, the French chemist and engineer, as the inventor of the neon signs. Georges applied an electric discharge through a sealed tube containing neon in the year 1902. The first neon lamp was exhibited by Georges Claude at the Paris Expo 1910. In 1912, the first commercial neon sign was sold by an associate of Georges to a barber.

Popularity of Neon Signs

In 1923, the neon signs were for the first time brought to the United States by a Packard car dealer. Soon, these signs became popular for outdoor advertising. People would get astonished looking at them and would call them the liquid fire. In 1950s, the glass bending techniques progressed further, adding to the popularity of the neon signs.

Though, their popularity decreased in 1960s, but the artistic approach followed to design neon signs helped them regain the lost fame. Since then, these dazzling lights have been an important part of different applications.