A century of LED screen history

It turns out that the use of LEDs – the technology of the 21st century – was possible back in the 20s of the 20th century, but society was not ready then, and progress was not so rapid as to give the world this miracle. There were no devices that could reproduce anything on a screen created from light diodes.

In 1923, the talented scientist Oleg Losev, with the aim of creating wireless radio communication, which then occupied many bright minds, discovered the first semiconductor LED. Having connected steel wire and carborundum, the tester noticed that they produced some luminescent glow, but things did not go further than observation.

A terrible disgusting picture

Almost half a century later, the American designer George Craford developed the world’s first LED screen, but the project was “curtailed” because the image turned out to be in yellow and red shades that were unpleasant for the eye.

The Nobel Prize goes to Japan

At the peak of development, Japanese scientists led by physicist Nakamura presented the world with the first and already known to us blue LED screen, which took root and laid the foundation for an entire industry, even changing the appearance of some cities. For example, in Hong Kong, an LED show is now held daily, which can be seen from the bay. Tens of thousands of LED screens placed on the roofs and facades of buildings create an incredible show of flickering, as if the whole city was immersed in a disco.

It is difficult to estimate the scale of use of this technology, but LED screens surround us everywhere, now they have become the norm and an incredibly simple and inexpensive solution, unlike other competitive technologies. At the same time, manufacturers are constantly working to simplify this technology and make it cheaper.