Long before the electric light was invented, human kind had to use gas lamps, torches or candles. In 1879, the incandescent light bulb was invented.

The light bulb that we use today was developed by Thomas Edison. This does not mean that he necessarily invented it though. Depending on where you look, there are several people who are claiming to have invented it. Thomas A. Edison from the U.S.A., Sir Joseph W. Swan from Britain, and 
A. N. Lodygin from Russia. The way people understand it, Edison and Swan were working on the light bulb around the same time and it was Swan who was first to patent the light bulb. About 10 months after Swan's patent, Edison read about Swan's invention in Scientific American. Edison had been working on his own light bulb at the time, and used Swan's idea of a carbon filament in his light bulb. Edison then greatly improved the design of the light bulb and became quite famous in North America for his "invention", making a lot of money at the same time. So, Edison's light bulb came to be with some help from Swan.

Edison also made many different light bulbs. He made a green-glass light bulb called "Emerald Green Glass" Edison carbon lamp with a pristine Edison "1882 Patent" label, and also the rare "Opal Glass" Edison Incandescent Lamp, 1884 - 1887. This lamp used a bamboo filament with full length platinum leads and also rare "Opal Glass" Edison Incandescent Lamp, 1884 - 1887. This lamp used a bamboo filament with full length platinum leads. He made many other bulbs and within 25 years, millions of people around the world had installed electrical lighting in their homes.