The History of Neon Signs

The theory behind neon sign technology dates back to 1675 before the age of electricity, when the French astronomer Jean Picard* observed a faint glow in a mercury barometer tube. When the tube was shaken a glow called barometric light occurred, but the cause of the light (static electricity) was not understood at that time.

Even though the cause of barometric light was not yet understood, it was investigated. Later, when the principles of electricity were discovered, scientists were able to move forward towards the invention of many forms of lighting.

In 1855, the geissler tube was invented, named after Heinrich Geissler, a German glassblower and physicist. The importance of the geissler tube was that after electrical generators were invented, many inventors began conducting experiments with geissler tubes, electric power, and various gases. When a geissler tube was placed under low pressure and electrical voltage was applied, the gas would glow.

By 1900, after years of experiments, several different types of electric discharge lamps or vapor lamps were invented in Europe and the United States. Simply defined the electric discharge lamp is a lighting device consisting of a transparent container within which a gas is energized by an applied voltage, and thereby made to glow.