Philip Diehl (inventor)
| Philip H. Diehl | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 29, 1847 Dalsheim, Germany |
| Died | April 7, 1913 (aged 66) Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer, inventor |
| Spouse(s) | Emilie Loos |
Philip H. Diehl (January 29, 1847 – April 7, 1913) was a German-American mechanical engineer and inventor who held several U.S. patents, including electric incandescent lamps, electric motors for sewing machines and other uses, and ceiling fans. Diehl was a contemporary of Thomas Edison and his inventions caused Edison to reduce the price of his incandescent bulb.
He occasionally spelled his first name 'Phillip'.
Philip H. Diehl was born in Dalsheim, Germany.
In July 1868, he immigrated to New York City where he worked in several machine shops before finding work as an apprentice with the Singer Manufacturing Company. In 1870 or 1871 he was transferred to Chicago, Illinois and worked at Remington Machine Company until 1875. He lost all of his possessions in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1873, Diehl married Emilie Loos in Chicago.
In 1875, Diehl moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey and took charge of experimental work improving sewing machines at the Singer plant. His daughter, Clara Elvira, was born April 2, 1876.
While working at Singer in Elizabeth, Diehl experimented at work and at his home. This resulted in several inventions.
Working in the basement of his home on Orchard Street in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Diehl invented a lamp that was different from Thomas Edison's incandescent electric lamp, which was patented in 1879. Diehl's lamp had no lead-in wires. In 1882 Diehl obtained the first patent on this induction incandescent lamp. The base of the lamp contained a wire coil that coupled with a primary coil in the lamp socket, causing current to flow through the lamp without the need for lead-in wires. Two additional patents were granted in 1883, followed by patents for electrical lighting systems in 1885 and 1886.
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