Thomas Alva Edison is credited with building the first electric incandescent light bulb on this date back in 1879. But did you know that he wasn't the only one to file a patent for this invention at the time? 

English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan had actually developed his lightbulb before Edison in 1978.  The carbon filament bulb was a result of many years of trial and error and step-by-step development of its various components by scientists who preceded these two inventors including Sir Humphry Davy and Frederick de Moleyns. Edison and Swan developed a carbon filament that would be the object of incandescence between the platinum wires, in a vacuum inside the bulb. 

Once the patents were filed, it took a joint committee in 1883 to decide that Edison deserved credit for this creation that heralded the start of humans using electric lights. So what did Edison do to walk away with that honour?  The American inventor happened to develop the system of power lines and other details that took this invention out of the labs and into our homes. 

Talk about doing a thorough job. 

What do Alfred Nobel, Carrie Fisher, Kim Kardashian have in common? Captivating in their own unique ways, these three household names happen to celebrate their birthdays on October 21.