The first lightbulb was invented in 1802 by British chemist Sir Humphry Davy. This design ran electricity through a thin strip of platinum to create light.
Decades of experimenting and tinkering gave rise to bulbs that lasted years. That proved to be a terrible thing for companies trying to sell people lightbulbs.
Their solution? A cartel. In 1924, executives from the top lightbulb producers formed Phoebus. It was dedicated to the “effectiveness of electric lighting to the advantage of the consumer.”
Under the supervision of the committee, an audit system tests sample lightbulbs to check their life spans. Sample bulbs should only last between 800 and 1,750 hours.