So Now You Know
An associate and friend of Thomas Edison, Edward Johnson, is recognized as the first person to put electrified lights on a real Christmas tree. It happened in 1882 and just three years after the incandescent light bulb was invented. Johnson was a New Yorker and an executive of the Edison Illumination Company of New York City. Although the press smelled a publicity stunt, the event took place at Johnson's home in support of his belief in the lighting product's safety.
General Electric reduced the expense in 1903 by mass producing pre-assembled tree lighting for the very first time. The assembly was still too expensive for the average home but could be purchased or rented by department stores in electrified cities. The wiring consisted of eight green pre-wired porcelain sockets, eight colored glass bulbs and a plug for attachment to a nearby wall or ceiling light socket.
General Electric reduced the expense in 1903 by mass producing pre-assembled tree lighting for the very first time. The assembly was still too expensive for the average home but could be purchased or rented by department stores in electrified cities. The wiring consisted of eight green pre-wired porcelain sockets, eight colored glass bulbs and a plug for attachment to a nearby wall or ceiling light socket.
