Sir Joseph Wilson Swan

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Sir Joseph Wilson Swan

Sir Joseph Wilson Swan 1828-1914, English chemist and physicist. He made an incandescent lamp using a carbon filament (1860), 20 years before Edison's lamp. Noted for important contributions to photography as well, he devised the first commercially practical process for carbon printing, introduced the dry plate, and invented bromide paper. Swan also experimented with the production of man-made fibers. He was knighted in 1904.

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Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson

A Dictionary of British History | 2004 | | Â© A Dictionary of British History 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson (1828–1914). Born at Sunderland and educated in local schools, Swan was apprenticed to a local pharmacist. At Newcastle upon Tyne he became a partner in a pharmacy. A photographic business and a scientific instruments department were soon added. Swan invented an improved photographic printing technique, which is still in use. In December 1878 and February 1879 he demonstrated his first incandescent electric bulbs. Legal disputes between the Swan and Edison lighting interests were solved by creating a joint venture.

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JOHN CANNON. "Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (November 9, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-SwanSirJosephWilson.html

JOHN CANNON. "Swan, Sir Joseph Wilson." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved November 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-SwanSirJosephWilson.html

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	CORRECTIONS Newspaper article from: The Independent - London; 11/28/1999; 408 words ; ...Inside supplement it was stated that Edison invented the light bulb ("Past masters", 21 November). In fact, Sir Joseph Wilson Swan developed a primitive light bulb in 1860, 20 years before Edison's.
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