How did Christmas lights come about?

Answer

Candles had been used, but were very dangerous. The public was slowly beginning to embrace the idea of lighting their trees electrically, and as towns and cities were wired for electricity the variety of lighting on the market grew dramatically.

The world's first practical light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, and a mere three years later in 1882 an associate of his, one Edward Johnson, electrically lit a Christmas tree for the first time. The tree was in the parlor of Johnson's New York City home, located in the first section of that city to be wired for electricity. The display created quite a stir, and was recorded by a visiting reporter named Croffut in the Detroit Post and Tribune.

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