A bit of flashbulb history

A bit of flashbulb history (1)

	Most of the information I have on flashbulbs and their history has been gathered from flashbulb packaging, advertising and articles in old photo mags and old photographic books. If you have any historical info on flashbulbs that could be added to these pages please email it to me.
	Flashbulbs were first produced in the 1930s as a replacement for flashpowder, a highly inflammable powder containing magnesium. Flashpowder had two major drawbacks; it generated clouds of nasty smelling white smoke, and its explosive nature was responsible for the early demise of a number of the photographers.
	Flashbulbs got rid of the smoke problem, as the glass envelope contains the smoke inside. They are also considerably safer to use than flashpowder.
	Flashbulbs were considered an expensive luxury when they were first produced as they cost more than flashpowder, but their convenience and comparitive safety gradually increased their popularity.
	The earliest bulbs were filled with very thin aluminium or zirconium foil rather than wire. Wire was first used in 1939. The glass envelope of the bulb was filled with oxygen to encourage the foil or wire to burn fast and bright. The Sashalite was the first bulb available in the UK, and the GE20 the first in the US.