The very first flashlight :)

Other Types of Lights Non-LED Lanterns, Incandescent, and HID Lights
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I came across this article about the very first flashlight. Interesting to see the design. We are in 1899 and it looks exactly the same as today’s flashlights. It even uses 3x D Size batteries!

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Thanks for joining the party, NightTime!

Nice avatar, by the way.

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Hmmm,

“Maglite, 123 years of innovation”

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Great first post. That’s pretty cool.

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LEDs threw them off their innovation mantle, as the highest performance flashlights are Chinese now.

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I have that patent picture on a T-shirt :partying_face:
(from PhotonPhreaks)

Welcome to BLF!

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First post here, but I used to be (not so) active on CPF. I read most then I talk :). Got back to this hobby to update my small collection. My SC62 is 7 years old now. Time for a refresh.

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Thanks. Great flashaholic community here.

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“The very first flashlight”… wasn’t that the big yellow thing in the sky? :smiley:

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Nice article NightTime and welcome to BLF.

It states:

  • This first model consisted of a simple paper tube, with a bulb at the end and a dry battery that they claimed was capable of giving light for 30 days uninterrupted.
  • It is true that today this statement is considered somewhat exaggerated since the technology of the time could not allow more than a few minutes of light that was not even constant, hence its name in English “flashlight”.”

Is that accurate? Is that where “flashlight” came from?

I’ve often wondered why “flash” was used in the term to describe a device that emits light for a long time. Versus a flashbulb which created a quick flash of light used with film (non-digital) cameras.

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I have a few in my vintage Antique Flashlight collection, some from the early 1900’s

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In many ways, we have not changed much. We still eat, sleep, and crap every single day. Been that way for million years.

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That picture is just plain scary. Looks like a man in a man’s clothing.

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This?

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Only if its filled with Hydrogen.

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Well, I do like horror!

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The Kodak moments usually get posted on Image Boss. Cross-posting? :slight_smile:

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I’m sure I saw a reference to the ANSI FL1 Standard somewhere in the article… :smiley:

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FLASHLIGHTS
Quote: Early flashlights ran on zinc–carbon batteries, which could not provide a steady electric current and required periodic ‘rest’ to continue functioning. Because these early flashlights also used energy-inefficient carbon-filament bulbs, “resting” occurred at short intervals. Consequently, they could be used only in brief flashes, hence the common American name flashlight.
TORCH
Quote: A torch is either a wooden or metal rod wrapped at one end with a material that has been impregnated with a flammable substance and ignited. It also means, in British English, a battery powered portable light source: compare flashlight. Flaming torches have been used through history and currently for various purposes including use in processions, symbolic or religious events and in juggling entertainment.