The Neon Sign

A neon sign is made of glass tubes filled with special gas. When electricity flows through the gas, it glows in bright colors. Neon signs are used for store signs, decorations, and art.

How Neon Signs Were Invented

Neon gas was discovered in 1898 by scientists in England. In 1910, a French engineer named Georges Claude figured out how to make neon gas glow inside glass tubes. He showed off the first neon lamps in Paris.

In 1923, the first neon signs came to America. A car dealer in Los Angeles bought two neon signs, and people were amazed by the bright glow. Soon, neon signs were everywhere, especially in cities like Las Vegas.

How Neon Signs Work

A neon sign is made from glass tubes bent into shapes or letters. The tubes are filled with neon gas or other gases. When electricity passes through the gas, the atoms get excited and give off colored light.

Neon gas makes red or orange light. Other gases make different colors. Argon gas makes blue, and mixing gases creates green, yellow, and purple. The glass tubes can be bent into almost any shape, which is why neon signs can spell out words and make pictures.

Fun Facts

• Las Vegas is called the Neon Capital of the World because of all its neon signs.
• Pure neon gas only makes red-orange light. Other gases make other colors.
• There is a neon sign museum in Las Vegas with hundreds of old signs.

Did You Know?

The first neon signs in the United States were so bright and unusual that traffic would stop because drivers pulled over just to stare at them.