---
title: "Which came first, Germany or the lightbulb?"
description: "Germany vs the lightbulb: Germany came first, by 8 years — 1871 against 1879. What happened in each case, and why the dates are often given differently."
url: https://atoneplace.net/which-came-first/germany-vs-lightbulb/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Which came first, Germany or the lightbulb?

**Which came first, Germany or the lightbulb?: Germany**

1871 — 8 years before the lightbulb

Germany came first, by 8 years. The German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles.

## Side by side

|  | Germany | the lightbulb |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Year | 1871 | 1879 |
| Date | 1871-01-18 | 1879-10-22 |
| Category | country | invention |
| What happened | The German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles. | Edison's carbon filament lamp burned for over 13 hours. |

## Germany

Germany as a unified state dates from 1871, which makes it younger than the United States, Canada, Italy and the bicycle. It then ceased to exist as a single state in 1949 and was reunified on 3 October 1990, so the current Federal Republic in its present borders is younger than the personal computer. Nintendo, founded in 1889, is older than most people's mental image of Germany allows.

## the lightbulb

Edison did not invent the electric light. Humphry Davy demonstrated an arc lamp in 1802, and at least twenty inventors produced incandescent bulbs before him; Joseph Swan demonstrated one in Newcastle in 1878 and was granted a British patent, which is why Edison eventually had to merge with him as Ediswan. What Edison produced in October 1879 was a bulb that lasted long enough and cost little enough to sell, together with the generating and wiring system to make it useful.

## Common questions

### Which came first, Germany or the lightbulb?

Germany, by 8 years — 1871 against 1879.

### When did Germany start?

1871. The German Empire was proclaimed at Versailles.

### When did the lightbulb start?

1879. Edison's carbon filament lamp burned for over 13 hours.

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## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)