A bit of flashbulb history (2)

A bit of flashbulb history (2)

	To prevent hot glass fragments flying about if a bulb shattered on firing, it became common for bulbs to be coated in a thick lacquer. Some early bulbs (GE A23) were lacquered on the inside of the glass. Most later bulbs were lacquered on the outside.
	World War II delayed advances in flashbulb technology, although it seems likely the Infrared 'blackout' bulbs (introduced in 1942) were used during the war.
	Bulbs became smaller and more reliable after the war, and bulbs with blue lacquer for use with colour films became available. Very small bulbs (such as the AG1) were introduced in the late 1950s, aimed mainly at the amateur market.
	The Flashcube (an arrangement of 4 flashbulbs in an integrated system of bulbs, reflectors and protective blue shield) was introduced in 1965. The Magicube (which uses a spring percussion device and needs no battery to fire) was introduced in 1970.
	A high power flashcube was introduced in 1971 with twice the light output of the standard flashcube.The 10 bulb Flashbar was introduced in 1972 (for use with Polaroid cameras) and the 8 bulb Flipflash (needing no battery) in 1975.