In 1895 a French Antoine-Henri Becquerel brought the electricity power into a glass tube filled with diluted gas. The tube started shining. To increase the light intensity he covered its inside with a fluorescence powder, which absorbs the light of certain colour (wave-length) and eradiates a different one. This experiment was the fundament for the further use of “cold” light. The luminous radiance in all these light-sources is acquired (in contrast to a bulb) with an electric discharge in gas or exhalations of metals.

The first fluor tubes created on these principles appeared on the beginning of this century. They were filled with the low pressure mercury exhalations and the inner sides of tubes were covered with a layer of luminescwnt material, which makes the ultraviolet light, streamed by the discharge, visible. But this tube was not suitable for a common use. The first fluor tube, that gives off a light suitable for use in households, offices, shops and factories was invented by Arthur H. Compton from General Electric Company in USA. For the first time it could be seen at the lunch, which took place in Washington in 1936. Two companies started to produce the fluor tubes for public – the above mentioned General Electric Company and the Westinghouse Corporation. Both of them in 1939. In Great Britain the fluor tubes weren’t used until the end of the world war 2, their production here started in November 1945. The greatest advantage of the fluor tubes is their low consumption of the electric energy, thus they are cheaper then the ordinary bulbs, they have longer durability, don’t get warm too much and their light can be coloured in a different way (according to the kind of luminescent material).

The neon light well known thanks to the different street-adverts, eye-catchers and so on, was invented by Georges Claude. As it often happens, he tried to use his invention in a different way. In 1910, when he was working on this invention, he was searching a new type of household and office lighting. But there was a snag in it – the tube filled which an inert gas (neon), in which he brought the electric power, was shining with a red light. This was unserviceable for his original aim, but Jacques Fonseque, who was working in the field of advertising, persuaded Claude that his invention will have a great application there. In 1912 one Parisian Barber’s shop was advising its name with the neon lights – and the first neon advertisement was advertising Cinzano. The success was ensured. Later the scale of colours was enlarged with the use of different kinds of inert gas.

Also the discharge (vapour) street-lighting (mercurial with a blue-green tone and a low-cost sodium one with a bright orange or yellow light) was developed from the original Claud´s fluor tube. In contrast to the fluor tubes and neon lights are these discharge tubes the high-pressure ones.

Lately new light-sources appear, often based on the principal of the discharged tubes adjusted for the lighting in the interiors. Their durability, luminance and power consumption are many times more favourable then at the common bulbs. The question is only their price: in case of a not very often use it might happen, that the invested money could pay off only after tens of years …