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Lighting · Recorded milestone

Fluorescent tube

Recorded year1938

GE and Westinghouse sell phosphor-coated mercury tubes that give several times more light per watt than bulbs, lighting offices and factories.

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Built on

Mercury-vapour lampRecorded · 1903enables
Neon lightingRecorded · 1910enables

Led to

Blue-light jaundice treatmentRecorded · 1958enables
Energy-saving bulbRecorded · 1980enables
Light therapy for winter bluesRecorded · 1984enables
Fluorescent tubes phased outForecast · ~2027enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.