In the era of the CFL and LEDs, looking back at Edison’s 1879 incandescent invention

Today marks the 130th anniversary of Thomas Alva Edison’s invention of the first commercially viable incandescent lightbulb. (The image, from the National Archives, is from Edison’s patent application; he received the patent in early 1880.) And while incandescents are still being improved upon to be more energy efficient, the emphasis today is on compact fluorescent lighting and LEDs, like those vying for the L Prize in the U.S. Department of Energy's Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prizes competition.

Check out our latest report on and ratings of compact fluorescent lightbulbs and learn how to save money on your annual utility bill.

Essential reading: Find out how to choose CFLs, read "10 Questions for . . . Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D., Lighting Researcher" for news on advances in lighting technology, and see what European consumers think about the EU's ban on some incandescent lightbulbs.