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Stories from the Institution of Engineering and Technology

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Lighting

Bathed in light

By Anne Locker The development of electricity for medical therapy and devices dates back to the beginnings of the science of electromagnetism and the beginnings of modern medicine. In 1791, Luigi Galvani discovered the role electricity plays in the body... Continue Reading →

Cragside – harnessing the power of water

By Asha Gage, IET Archivist Sir William Armstrong, later 1st Baron Armstrong, was one of the most successful British industrialists and scientists of the 19th century. He turned his vision and inventiveness to his country residence, Cragside, which is situated... Continue Reading →

Luxurious locomotives

By Anne Locker, Library and Archives Manager Illustration from ‘Train lighting from the car axle’, Consolidated Railway Electric Lighting and Equipment Company 1900 (IEE Pamphlets 625.2) This illustration of the interior of an elegant private train car, fitted with the... Continue Reading →

Shining a light on William Edwards Staite

By Asha Gage, IET Archivist When two pieces of carbon are connected to a high voltage electricity supply, an arc of brilliant light is "struck" between them when they are a short distance apart. The first man to observe this... Continue Reading →

Methods of Lighting in Ancient Japan

The ‘publication’ shown above was produced by the Japanese Illuminating Engineering Society in December 1930, and is titled Nippon Kotoki Taikan: Methods of Lighting in Ancient Japan. The work comprises a decorative presentation box (fabric on wood) with the title... Continue Reading →

ELECTRICAL ADVERTISEMENTS IN ENGINEERING RECORDS 1900-1960

By Asha Gage, IET Archivist Advertisements are ubiquitous; they pervade our television sets, radio waves, billboards, newspapers and most recently social media. The first kind of advertising dates back to ancient times when announcements were made to publicise events. This... Continue Reading →

Westminster Abbey – King George V Coronation Electric Lighting, 1911

With the impending wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018 at Windsor Castle, we thought it would be an appropriate time to revisit one of the more unusual items in the IET Archive collections relating to... Continue Reading →

Electric Illumination Exhibition at the Science Museum, 1936

The above image shows the cover of a booklet titled, 'Electric illumination: an account of the principles, applications and development of electric lighting', written by W T O'Dea BSc AMIEE for the Board of Education and the Science Museum in... Continue Reading →

Charles and Edward Gimingham – Light Bulb Pioneers

The IET Archives has just received a donation of papers and photographs, mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that originally belonged to two highly capable brothers called Charles and Edward Gimingham. They both worked at a senior... Continue Reading →

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