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Neon lamps are lights created when an electric current is put through a glass container that contained some sort of inert gas under low pressure. When this happens, the gas ionizes and glows a bright color. It is basically a glass discharge lamp containing neon gas at low pressure. Small neon lamps are used as indicators in electronic equipment. Larger lamps are used in neon signage. The word neon comes from the Greek “neos,” meaning “the new gas.” George Claude discovered this in 1910, in Paris, when he ran an electrical current through a glass envelope of neon and it glowed a bright red. This device is also popularly known nowadays as a neon lamp.
The amount of direct current voltage that is needed to get the gas to produce distinct colors varies between 60 and 100volts for small indicator lights (indicators are small displays). The voltage for large retail displays is much greater, ranging from 2000 to 15,000volts. The glass containers used for these purposes range from for to eight feet long and can be bent into miscellaneous shapes. Neon lamps are frequently seen bent into shapes of letters and used as signs for different facilities. Most neon lamps are usually filled with neon gas, but not all are. Depending on the arrangement of gasses used for each lamp, it can produce up to 150 different colors.
Neon lamps can have a lifespan of 10,000 to 25,000 hours and operate under a wide temperature range (between -40 to 150 degrees). Neon lamps, due to their low current consumption, are good as nightlights. They are also unaffected by mechanical shock or vibration, making them very usable under most conditions. Neon lamps became very popular in the 1920s due to its long lifespan and high endurance. It's used most commonly as advertisements in the present day. Neon lighting quickly became a popular fixture in outdoor advertising. Visible even in daylight, people would stop and stare at the first neon signs dubbed "liquid fire."
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