Christmas Tree Lights

Each year between 34-36 million Christmas trees are produced to cope with the holiday demand.

Electric tree lights were first used just 3 years after Thomas Edison had his first mass public demonstration of electric lights back in 1879. Thomas Edison's assistant, Edward Johnson, came up with the idea of electric lights for Christmas trees in 1882. His lights were a huge hit. It took quite a few years, however, before they would be made available to the general public.

In 1895 Ralph Morris, an American telephonist, invented the string of electric Christmas lights similar to the ones we use today. The actual strings of lights had already been manufactured for use in telephone switchboards. Morris looked at the tiny bulbs and had the idea of using them on his tree.

From "The Reporter" of Long Beach, the 19 December 2008 number. They don't appear to have a website so you're going to have to take this one on faith.