abstract:

A light bulb is manufactured from resources found across the world. Knowing what role these resources play in manufacturing processes helps us understand why some technologies were successful and others were not. The glow from light bulbs depends entirely on the metals in the filament. In the late nineteenth century, manufacturers struggled to find a metal that did not melt when emitting a soft, warm glow. Only a few metals had the sought-after properties, and these became valued resources.

This article explores how the manufacturing of light bulbs affected and was affected by access to metals. Manufacturers competed fiercely to ensure they acquired the resources only found in a few places worldwide in their quest to take over the expanding lighting market. Making light bulbs in an era of protectionism affected extraction sites and politics globally.

摘要：

灯泡是用世界各地发现的资源制造的。了解这些资源在制造过程中所起的作用有助于我们理解为什么某些技术成功而其他技术却没有成功。灯泡发出的光完全取决于灯丝中的金属。在19世纪末，制造商努力寻找一种在发出柔和温暖的辉光时不会熔化的金属。只有少数几种金属具有抢手的特性，而这些成为了宝贵的资源。

本文探讨了灯泡的制造如何受到金属接触以及如何受到金属接触的影响。为了争夺不断扩大的照明市场，制造商进行了激烈的竞争，以确保他们获得了仅在全球少数地方发现的资源。在贸易保护主义时代制造灯泡影响了全球的开采场所和政治。