The Glowing History of Neon

Neon signs have been stopping people in their tracks for more than a century. The story begins in 1898, when British scientists William Ramsay and Morris Travers discovered neon gas while experimenting with liquefied air. Neon gave off a dazzling reddish-orange glow when electrified—but it would take another decade for someone to put it to use.
That someone was Georges Claude, a French engineer who in 1910 unveiled the first true neon lamp. His invention turned sealed glass tubes of neon into “living light.” Just two years later, the first neon advertising signs lit up a Paris barbershop, and customers couldn’t look away.
By the 1920s, neon had crossed the Atlantic. The first American neon signs were installed in Los Angeles for a Packard car dealership in 1923. They were so bright and unusual that traffic reportedly stopped as drivers gawked at the glowing letters.
From there, neon exploded. The 1930s through 1950s became the golden age of neon. Businesses everywhere embraced it—restaurants, movie theaters, motels, and casinos. Neon became part of the language of the American street, earning nicknames like “liquid fire” and “the magic tube.” Entire city blocks glowed at night, making places like Las Vegas and Times Square icons of neon culture.
Though neon’s popularity faded in the 1960s and 70s with the rise of cheaper plastic and fluorescent signs, it never disappeared. Today, vintage neon is treasured both as folk art and as cultural history, with museums dedicated to preserving old signs. Artists continue to use neon for its unique glow—proof that even after a century, this brilliant invention still captures the imagination.