Heinrich Göbel

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Heinrich Göbel, or later: Henry Goebel (April 20, 1818 - December 4, 1893), born in Germany, was a precision mechanic and inventor, who was long time seen as an early pioneer who independently developed designs for an incandescent light bulb. He emigrated to New York City & lived there until his death. Newer findings in Germany (namely the disertation of Hans-Christian Rhode) let it seem very unlikely that Göbel really invented an early light bulb. (source: Hans-Christian Rohde: Die Göbel-Legende)

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Göbel made a claim in the 1890's during litigation over Edison's light bulb patent that, back in 1854, he had designed the first practical bulb.

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"There are inconsistent judgements for and against Edison. Edison is only successful in two processes with appeal. This does not mean that the real truth had come forth." http://www.technikatlas.de/~ta1/Daten_engl.htm

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Göbel's main evidence was witnesses, which US patent courts discounted. His legal suit was called "interference" by the patent office and he eventually lost his case.

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Lewis Latimer discredited Göbel by demonstrating that his supposed 1850s bulb had been built much later. But in fact Göbel had openly recreated his 1859 tools and bulbs for the courts:

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In front of experts, called by the court, Goebel reconstructs the tools he used at that time and also his lamps of 1859. http://www.technikatlas.de/~ta1/Daten_engl.htm

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Judge Colt explained how he ruled based on probabilities:

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"It is extremely improbable that Henry Göbel constructed a practical incandescent lamp in 1854. This is manifest from the history of the art for the past fifty years, the electrical laws which since that time have been discovered as applicable to the incandescent lamp, the imperfect means which then existed for obtaining a vacuum, the high degree of skill necessary in the construction of all its parts, and the crude instruments with which Göbel worked."

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A few months after a court decision established the Edison's priority, Göbel died of pneumonia.

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Inventor: An inventor is a person who creates new inventions, typically technical devices such as mechanical, electrical or software devices or methods. Although some inventors may also be scientists, most of them are engineers in fact as they base their work on the discoveries of other scientists, experiment...

Incandescent light bulb: The incandescent light bulb (archaically known as the electric lamp) uses a glowing wire filament heated to white-hot by electrical resistance, to generate light (a process known as thermal radiation or incandescence). The bulb is the glass enclosure which keeps the filament in a vacuum or low-press...

New York City: :This is an article about New York City; see also NYC, New York, New York (disambiguation) and New York....

Heinrich Göbel related Images and Photos (experimental)

Belga	Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD	Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD	Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD
Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD	Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber	Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90) and His Wife	Messer Gabel Loffel I
Barbara Bel Geddes	Bel Bouquet II - mini - Gold Trim	Portrait of Heinrich Schutz	Portrait of Heinrich Heine 1831