Joseph Swan

I found this memorial to Joseph Swan in Newcastle. I remember hearing that he was actually ahead of Edison in inventing a light bulb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan He initially used carbon filament - presumably meaning graphite, which conducts electricity. The problem is that it burns up. Swan managed a bulb that didn't have too much oxygen in it so it was able to get really hot without catching fire. The bulb is called incandescent because it becomes so hot that it glows.