Adapting fluorescent lights for wide use took decades

By Richard Brill

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 16, 2012

~~<p>Fluorescent lights have been the primary source of industrial lighting indoors since the 1930s, but recent advances have put compact fluorescent lights in the spotlight for home use.</p>
<p>Fluorescence of rocks and other chemicals had been observed for hundreds of years before it was understood. In 1852 George Stokes named the phenomenon "fluorescence" after the mineral fluorite, a naturally occurring calcium fluoride that glows under ultraviolet light.</p>
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Fluorescent lights have been the primary source of industrial lighting indoors since the 1930s, but recent advances have put compact fluorescent lights in the spotlight for home use.

Fluorescence of rocks and other chemicals had been observed for hundreds of years before it was understood. In 1852 George Stokes named the phenomenon "fluorescence" after the mineral fluorite, a naturally occurring calcium fluoride that glows under ultraviolet light. Login for more...