The Bright Stuff

A revolution is underway, and it’s changing the way we illuminate the world. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are replacing conventional forms of lighting in everything from cars to billboards and from streetlights to desk lamps. Leading this lighting revolution was Nick Holonyak, Jr. who, in 1962, invented the world’s first practical LED. This book explains how it all came to be.

A revolution is underway, and it’s changing the way we illuminate the world. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are replacing conventional forms of lighting in everything from cars to billboards and from streetlights to desk lamps. Requiring less electricity than incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs, LEDs are the most efficient light source ever created. LEDs come in all the colors of the rainbow, but they are just about the greenest technology around. The widespread adoption of LEDs in homes during this decade alone will save billions of dollars, while decreasing the world’s overall demand for energy. Leading this lighting revolution was Nick Holonyak, Jr. who, in 1962, invented the world’s first practical LED. From the beginning, Holonyak recognized the efficiency potential of the LED and predicted that LEDs would someday replace Thomas Edison’s light bulb. It’s taken 50 years and the contributions of many talented scientists and engineers to make this prediction come true. This book explains how it all came to be.

A former director of communications for the University of Illinois Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, Laura Schmitt worked with Nick Holonyak Jr. and other faculty for 15 years, publicizing their research and accomplishments. For the past seven years, she has been working as a freelance science writer in Champaign, IL.