Starting in the early 1800s, inventors looked for ways to convert electricity into light. Sir Humphry Davy, an English physician, successfully passed an electric current through platinum strips in 1801. Unfortunately, the strips evaporated quickly and Davy was unable to create a light that lasted more than a few minutes
In circuit diagrams lamps usually are shown as symbols. There are two main types of symbols, these are:
The cross in a circle, which usually represents a lamp as an indicator.
The semicircular dent in a circle, which usually represents a lamp as a source of light or illumination.