Prompt Cast
The History and Impact of Christmas Lights
TLDR Christmas lights have a long history, starting with the invention of the light bulb. They were initially expensive and only accessible to the wealthy, but eventually became affordable for the average person. Despite their popularity, Christmas lights use a significant amount of energy, although the use of LED lights has helped reduce their impact.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The advent of Christmas lights quickly followed the invention of the light bulb, with Edward H. Johnson using electrical bulbs to decorate his Christmas tree.
02:13
Martin Luther is often credited with the idea of putting candles on Christmas trees, but Edward Johnson improved upon this by handwiring a Christmas tree with 80 red, white, and blue lights that revolved and alternated colors.
04:29
Edward Johnson's handwired Christmas tree with rotating red, white, and blue lights attracted a lot of attention and admiration, with people lining up on the street to see it.
06:35
In 1890, Christmas lights were available for purchase but were extremely expensive, costing $375 for a string of 16 lights, making them cost prohibitive for the average person.
09:02
By the 1930s, Christmas lights became affordable enough for the average person to decorate their own home or Christmas tree, and by the 50s, it was common to see almost every house on a street lit with Christmas lights.
11:00
Christmas lights use a significant amount of energy, with Americans spending $7.8 billion per year on them and lighting them to the tune of 6.63 billion kilowatt hours, although this statistic is likely lower now due to the use of LED lights.
13:08
Before LED lights, the United States used more electricity just for Christmas lights than countries like Tanzania and El Salvador used in an entire year, but in 2011, Christmas lights only represented 0.2% of America's total electricity usage.
Categories:
Society & Culture
