# Why did they just now invent the LED bulb?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-just-now-invent-the-led-bulb/619633>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 22, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-just-now-invent-the-led-bulb/619633 "2012-04-22T21:49:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-just-now-invent-the-led-bulb/619633/21 "2012-04-23T04:14:02Z")

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Define “just now”. I bought an LED bulb in 2007. But it was rather weak.

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**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-they-just-now-invent-the-led-bulb/619633/22 "2012-04-23T14:18:11Z")

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> [@gatorslap](#):
>
> Define “just now”. I bought an LED bulb in 2007. But it was rather weak.

Recent years. LEDs in general were first made in 1927 (according to Wiki), and first mass-produced in 1968. So even 2007 is pretty damn recent in comparison.

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