Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Joseph Swan
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Swan, Joseph lightbulb: Ediswan Joseph Swan, pencil drawing by M. Agnes Cohen, 1894; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
Quizzes
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
ball bearing. Disassembled ball bearing. rotational friction Automobile Industry, Engineering, Industry, Machine Part, Metal Industry, Sphere, Steel, Wheel
Inventors and Inventions
Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
Physics and Natural Law
Related Questions
Read Next
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Highway Night Traffic Portland, drive, driving, car, automobile.
What's the Difference Between Speed and Velocity?
Chemical equations Chemical reactions chemistry
How Do You Balance a Chemical Equation?
Illustration of molecules. (molecular, chemistry, science)
Why Is a Group of Molecules Called a Mole?
Abstract vector hi speed internet technology background
History of Technology Timeline
Discover
bird. mourning dove. pigeon and dove. Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) family Columbidae.
Nikola Tesla's Weird Obsession with Pigeons
In this aerial photo, structures are damaged and destroyed October 15, 2005 in Balakot, Pakistan. It is estimated that 90% of the city of Balakot was leveled by the earthquake. The death toll in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on October 8, 2005 is believed to be 38,000 with at least 1,300 more dead in Indian Kashmir. SEE CONTENT NOTES.
6 of the World’s Deadliest Natural Disasters
Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor infographic. World War II. Hawaii. United States. Japan. SPOTLIGHT VERSION
Attack on Pearl Harbor Timeline
Shah Jahan. Taj Mahal. Mughal architecture. Emperor Shah Jahan fifth Mughal Emperor (reigned 1628-1658) India, Himachal Pradesh, Basohli or Jammu and Kashmir, Mankot, circa 1690 Drawings; Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper (see notes)
6 Important Mughal Emperors
Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics
10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline
Horses. Equus caballus. Horse stable. A brown horse looks out from his stall through the window.
Horsing Around: 7 of the Weirdest Racehorse Names in History

Joseph Swan: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Joseph-Wilson-Swan
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Sir Joseph Wilson Swan
Born October 31, 1828 • Sunderland • England
Died May 27, 1914 (aged 85) • England
Inventions dry plate • incandescent lamp

Photos

Swan, Joseph
lightbulb: Ediswan
Joseph Swan, pencil drawing by M. Agnes Cohen, 1894; in the National Portrait Gallery, London
See All Images →
British chemist and physicist James Dewar
Sir James Dewar
British scientist
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
British physicist
Joseph Black, detail of an engraving by J. Rogers after a portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn
Joseph Black
British scientist
Sir Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy
British chemist
John Dalton
John Dalton
British scientist
James Lovelock
James Lovelock
English chemist, doctor, and author
Venki Ramakrishnan
Indian-born physicist and molecular biologist
Francis William Aston.
Francis William Aston
British physicist and chemist
Sir John A. Pople
British mathematician and chemist
Crookes
Sir William Crookes
British chemist
Daniell, John Frederic
John Frederic Daniell
British chemist
Nicholson, William
William Nicholson
English chemist and inventor
Alexander Parkes
British chemist
Charles Wheatstone.
Sir Charles Wheatstone
British physicist
Frederick Augustus Abel, engraving.
Sir Frederick Augustus Abel
British chemist
Thomas Andrews.
Thomas Andrews
Irish chemist and physicist
Edward Davy
British inventor
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday
British physicist and chemist
Galileo
Galileo
Italian philosopher, astronomer and mathematician
Cavendish, Henry
Henry Cavendish
British physicist

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
Michael Faraday (L) English physicist and chemist (electromagnetism) and John Frederic Daniell (R) British chemist and meteorologist who invented the Daniell cell.
Faces of Science
Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
Physics and Natural Law
ball bearing. Disassembled ball bearing. rotational friction Automobile Industry, Engineering, Industry, Machine Part, Metal Industry, Sphere, Steel, Wheel
Inventors and Inventions
List
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution