Lighting

Several attempts at public lighting were made during the 15th and 16th centuries. The actual birth of public lighting dates back to the ordinance of September 2, 1667, by Louis XIV. Lighting was improved with the introduction of oil powered street lamps between 1745 and 1769, as they provided a much stronger light. In the 1800's, these oil lamps were slowly replaced for gas power because of the extreme flammability of the oil. These lamps were soon replaced by electricity, which also got off to a slow start.