The Origin of the LED: From Electroluminescence Discovery to a Global Lighting Revolution
In 1907, a 150-word letter about a glowing silicon carbide crystal set off a chain of discoveries that would take 86 years to complete. This is the story of how electroluminescence became the LED — from Losev's overlooked research in Soviet Russia to Holonyak's first red LED, and the stubborn pursuit of blue that finally unlocked white light.