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(Photo: Courtesy of the Thomas Edison Museum (from "The History of the Christmas Figural Light Bulb," by Robert Iwamasa and Patrick Fay, 2006) |
Back in the day, Christmas trees were decorated with lit candles. In 1882, an executive at Thomas Edison’s brand-new electric company tried something new. Edward H. Johnson wired 63 handmade lightbulbs in a string and, hoping to get some attention for his fledgling company, invited reporters to see them draped around this tree in his home on West 12th Street.
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