Those were still the days when the world depended a lot on coal. In the U.S., demands for coal increased during the early years of the 20th century as the country was getting more and more industrialised. As mining activities increased, so did the number of mining disasters. During the1900s, hundreds of people died in mining accidents, and the Mine Safety Appliance Company sought Edison’s help to get lighting inside the mines.
By then, the homes in America had started to get electricity, but providing electric lighting inside the mines was not easy: the wiring costs would be too high. Edison’s solution to this problem was a lamp that carried its own power! He started to work on a cap lamp for miners in 1914, using a rechargeable battery. The Edison Cap Lamp had a battery kept in a case, which miners could attach to their belts. A flexible cord connected the cap lamp to the battery. Edison also put in some safety measures, as the mines had gases that easily caught fire. He ensured that if, by any chance, the bulb broke, and the electrical connection would be cut off immediately, thereby averting the danger of a fire inside the mine.
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