Take a sigh of relief at first, thinking that in this modern age you don’t have to use the 1948 MG TC Roadster or the 1984 Ferrari 308 GTB model, the cars of the blind period. Because the light in the headlights of these cars was very soft in nature. The headlights of this car could not be seen very far on the dark road. Since the discovery, the headlights of this insignificant light car have evolved so much step by step in the evolution of time that car lovers should have some idea about its history!
So let’s find out how the headlights of the car appeared, discovered. And how much research has been done on it over the last hundred years and who has contributed to its improvement. In this article, we will also find out about some headlight making companies!
The first oil lamp headlights
The oldest headlight in car history was a lantern or oil lamp. These headlights, lit with acetylene or oil, were invented in the late 1880s. This acetylene lamp, or oil lamp, gained popularity as a car headlight about a century and a half ago because of its ability to emit uninterrupted light. Even in the wind and rain, this light could be used to light a car. Ten years later, in the late nineteenth century, this lantern or oil lamp type headlight was the mainstay, as the electric headlight market was not so technologically advanced.
Companies like Priest-O-Light and Corning Connor took the initiative to make these oil lamp headlights more popular. Under their patronage, this oil-powered headlight became a valuable accessory of the car. Since oil lamp Headlights run on oil, the Priest-O-Light Company invented a way to store enough oil as fuel.
Although there was no way to increase or decrease the light of this oil lamp headlight while sitting inside the car at first, later a way to control this headlight by installing a switch inside the car also came out. Corning Confor then further enhances this oil lamp headlight with its focusing and reflecting capabilities. By 1917 the Corning Company’s lantern or oil lamp headlights had been able to illuminate the roadside 500 feet from the car!
Discovery of electric headlights
The first thing that was needed for the invention of the electric headlight was the invention of the electric lamp. Thomas Alva Edison invented the first electric lamp in 189, but it took more than 20 years for the car’s headlights to touch the electric light. The first electric headlight in history was introduced in 1896 by the Columbia electric car. This electric car company added this low power headlight to the car as an alternative headlight. However, after coming to the market, it did not gain much popularity due to two problems. First, the filament of this light could not stay on for long. And secondly, these headlights had to use dynamos to supply electric current. This headlight could not be supplied much power using a small dynamo.
Discover standard headlights for cars
Lanterns or oil lamp headlights retained their popularity as car headlights until 1904. Since then, with the constant improvement of electrical headlights, by 1908, electric headlights became the standard headlights for cars. Then in 1912, the Cadillac division of the General Motors Company in Las Vegas tried to improve the car’s headlights and add Delco electric ignition and lighting systems to the car. And this is where the era of modern headlights began.
By the 1940s, modern electric shielded beam headlights had established a strong foothold in the automotive world. For the next 17 years or so, the American head of state was in a state of law and order. A U.S. government traffic law mandates the use of at least 7-inch headlights on cars. Then in 1957, the law was changed to allow the use of headlights of any size in cars. As a result, the headlight technology has the opportunity to move forward again!
Halogen headlights from seal beam headlights
Until the 1960s, headlight manufacturers in Europe, Japan, and South America marketed a wide range of sealed beamed headlights. The halogen lamp comes on the market at the end of almost 50 years of the electric seal beam lamp in the headlights of the car. Then began the reign of halogen headlights. Sealed beams and single headlights – Halogen headlights are gaining popularity in both cases.
In the world of headlights, halogen bulbs still shine in their own light. But there is also a touch of technological advancement in improving these halogen lamps. Initially, the filament of an electric lamp was lit in a chamber of nitrogen-argon gas. But the filament in halogen lamps was further improved and tungsten filament technology was added. Leaving this tungsten filament in a gas chamber with iodine would have given much more light. Then the iodine was removed by the filament chamber of bromine. As a result of the use of bromine gas, halogen headlights were able to provide more light for a longer period of time. Which plays a significant role in making halogen lamps more standard. Halogen lights have been an integral part of car headlights for the past 60 years.
LED headlights
Now we have an LED or light-emitting diode. Which gives light much longer than halogen lamps and can reach far farther. LED bulb headlights came on the market by 2004. The first LED headlights were seen in the Audi A8 model.
Laser headlights in the future?
Despite the dominance of halogen lights in car headlights over the past half-century, scientists are now researching which technology will be most useful in the future. Because as the days go by, with technology, everything is getting better. So the car headlights are not going to be left out! Scientists hope that laser headlights will be added to the car in the future.
The history of the headlights in the car is known. Do you know the best GPS tracker in the car? If you know, you can find out by clicking here.
