Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulb is seen on display during a press preview held by The Smithsonian for "American Aspirations" exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, DC, on May 28, 2026. To highlight the country's 250 years since Independence, The Smithsonian is bringing together 30 objects from across Smithsonian museums. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) / “The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Mandel NGAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulb] instead of [A Statue of Liberty]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require.” Over the next few episodes, we present : stories that will make you rethink how the world works. First up, the conspiracy behind the lightbulb—and how it came to shape the entire consumer economy. If you ever wondered why your tech outdates so quickly or just plain fails, you can thank the lightbulb. (This episode originally aired in 2019.)
former NPR Planet Money correspondent
author of
author of
Read more Man convicted in terrorism trial over the 2022 stabbing of author Salman Rushdie
