The Social History of Lighting

How was a billiards table lit in 1763, or the stage of the Red Bull playhouse in 1673? The earliest red and green traffic light was in London in 1868; but what was street lighting like in Paris in 1524, or San Jose, California, in 1885? How did the early U.S. settlers light their homes, and how did this compare with the homes of Sumeria 4500 years ago, or with Stone-age lighting 15000 years ago? How were 4000 candles lit in less than a minute at the crowning of an English king, and what did Notre Dame look like with 1600 fat candles burning at the funeral of a French one? How were early lighthouses lit, and how were they built? What light did they use in an operating theatre 2500 years ago, and what were the…