The first person to generate light from a wire filament was the British Sir Humphry Davy. Davy was known for his work on electric arc lamps in the early 1800s, and his breakthrough discovery was the first electric light. His lamp used a very thin piece of platinum wire that had high resistance and emitted a soft glow. The lamp didn’t last long, and so it was not practical, but it did pave the way for others.