Baron von Welsbach

Welsbach, Baron von (1858–1929), Viennese chemist and inventor who worked on artificial lighting. He developed the Welsbach mantle (1885), a gas lamp that produced brighter light than previous gas lamps. A few years later, he created the filament for an incandescent lamp that led to the development of the modern light bulb. He also created a metal, called Auer's metal, which, when struck, creates a spark. It is used in modern-day cigarette lighters.

See also: Chemistry.