Who invented what?

[Doctor Drivel]

Do you want his shoe size as well?

[Doctor Drivel]

Alas no. Duh!

[djc]

I remember some gas street lamps in Enfield (North London) in the early sixties. Gone by the 70s though an old warehouse I worked in in the early 70s had gas lighting.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Then - as always - you should take advice from your betters.

[:Jerry:]

We'll take that as admission of 'Drivel' being wrong - again....

[Roger]

The message from Andy Hall contains these words:

I bought my first house somewhere around that time and while the BS was a complete PITA about some things I don't think they went as far as demanding a meat safe. The bastards did however demand mortgage protection insurance even though the mortgage was only a 75% advance.

A shared flat I had been in a few years earlier had had an antiquated gas powered fridge. From time to time bits fell off but nothing essential as it carried on working.

[Roger]

The message from "Dave Plowman (News)" contains these words:

A house on Ilkley Moor that had been empty for 3 years and vandalised recently sold at auction for IIRC £385000. Despite being no more remote than most farmhouses in the area it didn't have electricity and lighting was by gas. I presume that was bottled gas. I don't know when bottled gas was first introduced but I can recall it being used for cooking some time about 1951 or 2 and that installation (in a holiday cottage) didn't look new.

[Dave Liquorice]

It's an interesting question. Alston (about a remote a market town as you can get in England) had gas street lights from it's own coal gas works. The coal probably coming from the local coal mines. The gas works site is still there but now cleared but not reused due to the contamination...

I'm not sure when electrickery arrived but I have a sneaky feeling it was long after gas, even with a local generating station. If there ever was one, I've not heard about or seen an ex-site for one.

[Doctor Drivel]

You are a plantpot.

[:Jerry:]

I was correct then, Drivel's 'If all else fails' response kicked in! :~(

[Lurch]

On 12 Jul 2007 08:03:47 GMT, Huge mused:

I see loads of trams, all real and working as well!

[Doctor Drivel]

Yes, a plantpot

[:Jerry:]

You're not the only one who can alter what was said previously...

[Bazza]

I also was born in '51 in Sowerby Bridge near Halifax where most of the side streets where lit by gas although the main roads had electric lighting. From memory the gas lamps lasted until the switch to natural gas in the late '60s when they where replaced with electric. Don't remember trams apart from Blackpool but they don't count, do remember Trolley buses in Bradford and Manchester though.

Bazza

[Doctor Drivel]

You are still a plantpot.

[Doctor Drivel]

A great invention is the hook. Imagine what life would be like without them. Everything would be on the floor.

[:Jerry:]

Indeed you are Drivel.

Anyone can fake what you say Drivel, just like you do with others...

[Doctor Drivel]

You are a total witless plantpot.

[:Jerry:]

Lost for words Drivel?

[Adam Aglionby]

SIR Joseph W. Swan please, Knighted late in life and referred to constantly by the National Trust at Cragside , first building in the world lit by electric light, as just plain Joseph whilst arms dealer extrodinaire, Lord Armstrong owner of Cragside is always given his full title. Also honoured late in life became Lord after putting the Wales`s up in his specially built extension for a few days.He had central heating and electric light whilst the alternative accomodation at Alnwick most certainly didn`t.

Sir Joseph demonstrated a practical, life longer than minutes, electric filament lamp at Newcastle Chemistry Society a full 8 months before Edison demonstrated his improvements of a patent he`d bought for a then astronomical 50,000 USD from a couple of Canadians.

Sir Humphrey Davey, of miners safety lamp fame, invented the carbon arc lamp 50 years previously.

Blue and White LEDs were invented by Shuji Nakamura.

If only could remember good jokes instead ;-)

Adam