The invention of the white LED lightbulb

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1993, a literal lightbulb moment led to the invention of the first white light emitting diode (LED).

These LEDs are now used to light up everything from our streets to our homes to this screen you’re looking at.

Along with two other Japanese engineers, Professor Shuji Nakamura, was behind this illuminating invention.

But Shuji’s journey to this point is one of resilience and perseverance. In his pursuit to discover the first commercial white LED, he had to overcome many obstacles along the way.

With less funding than his counterparts and one of the only inventors without a PhD degree, Shuji stood out from the crowd.

He set out to get his PhD degree and found one of the most sought-after inventions along the way.

Professor Shuji Nakamura speaks to Natasha Fernandes about finding the light and how it might not be what you would expect.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Shuji Nakamura speaks during a news conference with LED lights on display. Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're about to listen to a BBC podcast, but this is about something else you might enjoy.
0:05.4	My name's Katie Lecky and I'm an assistant commissioner for on demand music on BBC Sounds.
0:10.7	The BBC has an incredible musical heritage and culture and as a music lover, I love being part of that.
0:17.4	With music on sounds, we offer collections and mixes for everything, from workouts to helping
0:22.7	you nod off, boogie in your kitchen, or even just a moment of calm. And they're all put together
0:28.7	by people who know their stuff. So if you want some expertly curated music in your life,
0:34.9	check out BBC Sounds.
0:40.3	Hello. Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Natasha Van Andes.
0:49.3	I'm taking you back to Japan in 1993, when a literal light bulb moment led to the invention of the first
0:57.0	white light emitting diode, which you'll know as the LED. It's the story of a scientist whose
1:03.4	determination lit up our world. I mean, these LEDs are used to light up our streets, screens,
1:09.3	and homes.
1:19.0	The next day, I came into the lifetime testing in the early morning at 7am, and the steel LED is on with the same brightness. At the time, I was so excited. I said,
1:25.2	Banzai! Banzai means, wow, we got it. That was Professor
1:32.0	Shugi Nakamura, recalling the moment he flicked the switch for the first time and changed lighting
1:38.2	forever. He was doing something called a lifetime test. A method used to test how long his light bulb lasted, and it passed.
1:47.9	What he made was totally different to these bulbs that came before.
1:52.2	Here's the new Philip soft tone, just as bright but soft.
1:57.2	Mazda gives you a choice.
1:59.7	How bright light shines really bright.
2:02.7	And it's not just GE's almost 100% reliability thereafter.
2:07.3	There really is a glaring difference.
	...

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