In 1883, Edison lost his light bulb patent when the U.S. Patent Office ruled his work had been based on that of another inventor, William Sawyer.

Illustration by Meilan Solly / Background via Library of Congress In the autumn of 1878, Thomas Alva Edison had a problem. He hadn’t invented the light bulb —yet.

How Edison Invented the Light Bulb — And Lots of Myths About Himself 3 minute read Still life of the first electric light bulb, invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1879 and patented on January 27 ...