On this Web site, we hope to use the Internet to gather -- as well as present -- history. With your help, we want to explore changes in the science and technology of electric lighting over the past 30 years, especially the effects of energy issues on lighting. 
Although the subject might seem a bit technical, anyone who has worked in an office, driven a car at night, or even changed a light bulb can help us shed a little light on this corner of history. We are seeking information from as broad a range of people as possible -- inventors, researchers, manufacturers, electricians, architects, city planners, lighting designers, retailers, consumers, and many others.

Three brief, illustrated essays give an outline of changes in residential, commercial, and industrial lighting over the last few decades, and help show what we are after. Please read any or all of these three illuminating histories, and then, most important, answer the questions on one (or more) of the three Collecting History pages. 

Your participation will help us better understand how events and trends of the recent past such as the Energy Crisis and the environmental movement have influenced the history of this important technology. And if you have pertinent documents, photographs, objects, or other historical materials, you may be able to help us build a more complete collection to pass on to future generations. 

The National Museum of American History (NMAH), in association with several universities and professional institutes, is gathering material on the interaction of technology and society. At NMAH, we are studying the development of energy-efficient electric lighting and (coming soon) fuel cells. Other participants are studying other aspects of the history of science and technology; you can link to their Web pages below. The overall project is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and seeks to provide data on how the Internet can contribute to historical scholarship.