Neon’s story began in 1898 when British chemists William Ramsay and Morris Travers discovered the noble gas while experimenting with liquefied air. Named after the Greek word neos (“new”), neon remained invisible until 1910, when French engineer Georges Claude electrified it, unveiling the first neon light.

His glowing invention debuted at the Paris Motor Show and soon transformed cityscapes. By the 1920s and ’30s, neon signs—dubbed “liquid fire”—lit up American streets, from Hollywood to Las Vegas. Though later replaced by cheaper fluorescents, neon’s nostalgic glow endures, cherished as both art and icon.