It's been 190 years since the first public electric light bulb was demonstrated in Dundee

Today marks 190 years since a remarkable moment in Dundee’s history – the first public demonstration of a constant electric light.

On 25 July 1835, in the Thistle Hall on Dock Street, local inventor James Bowman Lindsay lit up the future by showing that electric light could shine continuously – long before Thomas Edison’s famous breakthrough.

The demonstration was modest in setting but revolutionary in impact. Using a wire sealed in a vacuum and powered by a battery, Lindsay created a steady light bright enough to read a book from one and a half feet away. It was the first time anyone had publicly shown such a feat, and it came decades before electric lighting became common.

James Bowman Lindsay was born on 8 September 1799 in the rural parish of Carmyllie, near Arbroath. A sickly child, he avoided the hard life of farm labour and became a linen weaver.

His passion for reading and learning eventually led him to the University of St Andrews, where he studied mathematics, physics, and the classics. He arrived in Dundee in 1829 as a lecturer at the Watt Institution, where his interest in electricity flourished.

Lindsay’s pursuit of electric light wasn’t driven by fame or fortune. He hoped to find a safer way to light Dundee’s booming jute mills, which were prone to deadly fires. His concern for workers’ safety, and his lifelong curiosity, drove much of his work.

He later ventured into ideas like arc welding and even wireless communication, taking out a patent in 1854 for telegraphy through water – an early precursor to wireless transmission.

Despite his groundbreaking discoveries, Lindsay was not one to seek the spotlight. He turned down a role at the British Museum to care for his elderly mother and remained in Dundee for the rest of his life, continuing his scientific and theological research.

He also spent decades compiling his Pentacontaglossal Dictionary, a comparative study of 50 languages designed to explore human origins and defend the historical accuracy of the Bible.

In his later years, Lindsay was awarded a £100 pension by Queen Victoria on the recommendation of Prime Minister Lord Derby, in recognition of his contributions to science. He died on 29 June 1862 and is buried in Dundee’s Western Cemetery on Perth Road.

Though he lacked the commercial ambition of contemporaries like Edison, Lindsay’s legacy continues to grow. A marble bust stands in Dundee Library, and his life is remembered by historians, technologists, and local champions of innovation. As Dundee embraces a new era of creativity and scientific progress, the light first sparked in Dock Street continues to shine.