Lewis Latimer and the Work of Bringing Light
On September 4, 1848, Lewis Howard Latimer was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Decades later, he helped make electric lighting more practical. His story is not about one person inventing a light bulb all by himself. It is about how many people’s ideas and skills helped a new technology grow.
Latimer’s parents, George and Rebecca, had escaped slavery in Virginia before he was born. When Lewis was a teenager, he served in the Union Navy during the Civil War. After the war, he found work at a patent law firm. A patent gives an inventor certain rights to an invention for a limited time. The firm needed people who could prepare clear drawings of inventions.
Latimer taught himself mechanical drawing by watching the draftsmen at work and practicing. His drawings had to show how an invention was put together, often using careful lines and measurements. He became skilled enough to work as a draftsman himself. While reviewing designs at a workbench, a draftsman like Latimer could study the parts of a lamp and show how they fit together on paper.
- mechanical:
- Relating to machines and how their parts work.
- measurements:
- Numbers that tell the size, length, or amount of something.
- manufacture:
- To make products, often using a planned process.
- efficiently:
- In a way that makes good use of time and effort.
- reliable:
- Able to be trusted to work well.
- installations:
- Equipment that has been set up for use.
- contribution:
- Something a person does or gives to help achieve a result.
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Main Idea
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Purpose
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What is the main idea of the passage, and which two details support it?
- 2How did Latimer teach himself mechanical drawing?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“Lewis Latimer and the Work of Bringing Light” is a explanatory article reading passage about Lewis Latimer and electric lighting, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (470 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.