Gas lighting

Uncommon card · No. 181626

Gas lighting is the production of artificial light by burning a fuel gas. Light may be produced directly by the flame or indirectly by heating another material to incandescence, as in a gas mantle or limelight. During the period when gas lighting was widespread, its principal fuel was coal gas; natural gas later replaced coal gas in many places. Experiments with combustible gases preceded the practical development of gas lighting, but widespread use began in the early 19th century. William Murdoch demonstrated coal-gas lighting in Britain in the 1790s and early 1800s, and gas lighting subsequently spread through cities in Europe and North America. During the 19th century it was used extensively for streets, homes, factories, and theatres. In theatres, gas lighting allowed brighter stages and more centralized control of illumination, but also created heat, fire, and explosion hazards. From the late 19th century, gas lighting was progressively displaced by electric lighting as electrical...

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