The Phoebus Cartel Was Never Really Evil
Debunking the myths around the 120-year lightbulb, shining a more positive light on the Phoebus cartel, and getting the facts right around LED lights.
There are very few things in terms of technology as ubiquitous as the humble lightbulb, and for good reasons. “Let there be light” changes everything. It helps us see things, see each other, transmit information, enables screens for us to stare at, and I could go on and on. Light produced through the use of electricity is everywhere and without it, our civilisation would crumble. If you thought lockdowns during the pandemic or climate change were bad, imagine turning off the lights forever. “Oh God, we’re all doomed!” would be a very optimistic reaction compared to what would actually unfold within minutes, and it wouldn’t even have to happen in the middle of the night.
My fascination with light and lightbulbs started at the age of around 7, right after the death of my grandad. As an “inheritance” I received a big bag full of plastic building blocks. They weren’t quite LEGO, but worked quite similarly. The piece variations were quite limited, though, as you were meant to build mostly houses out of them. Doors, windows, bricks, roof slopes and that was about it. Building houses got boring pretty…
