20101203 A Century of Liquid Fire – Neon's Bright History (1)

A Century of Liquid Fire – Neon's Bright History

This unique form of lighting made its debut 100 years ago

French inventor Georges Claude displayed a new kind of lamp at the 1910 Paris Motor Show. When Claude connected two, 12-meter-long glass tubes filled with colorless neon gas to electricity, they glowed with a reddish-orange color. Onlookers praised Claude's invention, but they weren't excited about lighting their homes with his fiery light. Claude's breakthrough came after he bent his tubes into the shapes of letters and learned how to produce other colors. In 1912, the world's first neon sign was displayed outside a Paris barbershop, and neon's role in advertising was born.

Americans first encountered neon in 1923 when the Packard Motor Car Company in Los Angeles displayed two of Claude's signs. Drivers stopped to gaze at the signs lit by "liquid fire." By the 1930s, American companies were producing their own signs and pushing the limits of neon. In 1936, for example, the Wrigley Company erected a huge aquarium scene in Times Square that featured animated, bubble-blowing fish and used over 1,000 feet of neon tubes. Neon's golden age, however, didn't arrive until the 1950s when businesses from restaurants to movie theaters were all using neon signs to lure customers. Although neon's use has dipped since that golden age, neon districts like Las Vegas and Osaka continue to draw big crowds to this day.

neon n. 氖氣

neon light 霓虹燈

eg: The owner of the store used neon lights to light up the windows.

=> 這家店的老闆用霓虹燈照明櫥窗

eg: One of the hotel sign's neon letters is burned out.

=> 這家旅館的霓虹招牌的其中一個字母燒壞了

erect v. 建立/樹立

=> build

eg: A monument was erected to memorize what the brave warriors did for their country.

=> 人們建立了一座紀念碑來紀念這些勇敢的戰士為國家的付出

eg: The Empire State Building in New York City was erected in 1931.

=> 紐約市的帝國大廈是1931年落成的

eg: My father and I spent 2 hours erecting the tent.

=> 爸爸跟我花了兩個小時才把這個帳篷豎起來

golden age 黃金時期/全盛期

eg: The actor looked back on his forties and fifties as his golden age in the industry.

=> 這位演員回顧他在演藝事業的全盛時期是在四十歲到五十歲這段時間

eg: The golden age of typewriters ended when the word processor was invented.

=> 文書處理機發明的時候打字機的全盛時代就結束了

breakthrough n. 突破/突破性進展

lure v. 吸引

=> attract

eg: Good benefits and a cash bonus should lure new graduates to accept a job here.

lure v. 引誘/誘惑

eg: The prey(獵物) was lured into a trap set by the hunter.

eg: Money lured him away from his morals and he betrayed his boss.

dip v. 價格下降

//== Chat room ==//

fiery

fiery light 霓虹燈

=> 在十二世紀的時候，fire有不同的拼法，

=> 有人拼fire，有人拼fier，還有人拼fir

=> 後來發明了印刷機之後，fiery就變成了正式的拼法

=> 雖然fiery可以表示和火焰有關的，但是用在人身上表示易怒的、暴躁的、急躁的

fiery adj. 表示易怒的、暴躁的、急躁的

eg: He has a fiery temper.他有暴躁的個性

fiery adj. 表示熱烈的、激烈的

a fiery speech 一場激昂的演說

//== Grammar on the Go ==//

By the 1930s, American companies were producing their own signs and pushing the limits of neon.

to push the limits

=> how knowledge or a certain field or study being challenge

eg: Cancer research continues to push the limits of microbiology.

eg: The invention of cell phones pushed the limits of wireless communication.

to push the limits

=> testing the ability

eg: The training program was designed to push the limits of the athlete's physical endurance.

eg: The baby's nonstop crying pushed the limits of the babysitter's patience.

//== More Information ==//

Two of the more famous Neon Districts around the world include: Las Vegas: One neon "hot spot" features several restores neon signs from the golden years of Vegas – including Vegas Vic, a 16-meter-tall neon cowboy, created for the Pioneer casino. Hong Kong: Every night the city puts on its "Symphony of Lights" show, a spectacle of light and sound dubbed the "World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" by the Guinness World Records.