Last updated September 2026 · By Christopher Smith, Bright Light LED
Short answer: the flashlight was invented by David Misell, whose patent was granted in 1899 and bought by Conrad Hubert's company, which became Eveready. It was called a flashlight because early models could only produce short flashes of light. Modern LED flashlights became possible after the blue LED breakthrough of the 1990s, which led to bright white LEDs.
Flashlight history timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1898 | The D-size battery is introduced |
| 1899 | David Misell receives a US patent for a portable electric light |
| Early 1900s | Conrad Hubert's American Electrical Novelty and Manufacturing Company sells flashlights under the Eveready name |
| 1962 | Nick Holonyak Jr. demonstrates the first practical visible-light (red) LED |
| 1979 | Mag Instrument introduces the aluminum Maglite |
| 1991 | Sony commercializes the lithium-ion battery |
| 1993 | Shuji Nakamura develops a high-brightness blue LED |
| 1996 | White LEDs, made with a blue LED and phosphor, reach the market |
| 2009 | The ANSI FL1 standard sets a common way to measure lumens, runtime and beam distance |
| 2014 | The USB-C specification is published; the Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes the blue LED |
| Today | USB-C rechargeable LED lights with thousands of lumens fit in a pocket |
Before the flashlight: candles and oil lamps
For most of history, portable light meant a flame. Candles made from tallow or beeswax burned down quickly, and oil lamps and lanterns needed constant refilling and could not be used safely in every situation. Reliable, portable light that worked in wind and rain simply did not exist.
Who invented the flashlight?
David Misell, an inventor working in New York, received a US patent for an electric device in 1899. His design put a small incandescent bulb, a reflector and batteries in a tube. Conrad Hubert, a businessman whose company sold novelty electric devices, acquired the rights and built a business around it. That company became the American Ever Ready Company, the origin of the Eveready brand.
Why is it called a flashlight?
Early flashlights used weak zinc-carbon batteries and inefficient carbon-filament bulbs. They could not stay on for long, so people used them in short bursts, or flashes. The name stuck. In British English the same tool is called a torch.
The incandescent era
Through the 20th century, better batteries and tungsten-filament bulbs made flashlights far more practical, and they became standard equipment in homes, cars, workplaces and the military. Durable metal bodies became common, and in 1979 the machined aluminum Maglite set the standard for a tough, dependable flashlight for decades.
But incandescent bulbs had real limits. They wasted most of their energy as heat, burned out, and broke if dropped.
The LED revolution
The first practical visible LED, demonstrated by Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962, was red and dim. LEDs were useful as indicator lights but not for illumination. The breakthrough came in the early 1990s, when Shuji Nakamura developed a high-brightness blue LED. Combining a blue LED with a phosphor coating produced white light, and white LEDs reached the market in 1996. Nakamura, Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano shared the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics for the blue LED.
LEDs changed flashlights completely. They are far more efficient than incandescent bulbs, have no filament to break, and last tens of thousands of hours.
Lithium-ion and the modern flashlight
The other half of the story is the battery. Lithium-ion cells, commercialized by Sony in 1991, store far more energy for their size than alkaline or nickel batteries. Cylindrical lithium-ion cells such as the 18650 and 21700 now power most high-performance flashlights. Our battery size guide explains the differences.
Modern lights add features that would have seemed impossible a generation ago: USB-C charging built into the body, battery indicators, thermal regulation that protects the LED, magnetic tails, and multiple light sources such as UV and lasers in a single pocket light.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the flashlight?
David Misell, who received a US patent for the device in 1899. Conrad Hubert's company, which became Eveready, turned it into a commercial product.
Why is it called a flashlight?
Early batteries and bulbs were so weak that the light could only be used in short flashes.
When did LED flashlights become common?
After white LEDs reached the market in 1996, LED flashlights spread through the late 1990s and became mainstream in the 2000s as LEDs grew brighter and cheaper.
What powers modern flashlights?
Most high-performance lights use rechargeable lithium-ion cells such as the 18650 or 21700, or built-in lithium polymer batteries charged over USB-C. AA and AAA lights remain popular for emergency kits.
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