Happy Birthday RIP John “Dizzy” Gillespie(1917–1993) Carrie Fisher(1956–2016) ; Joyce Randolph(Sirola)–97 Manfred Mann(Lubowitz)–81 Judith “Judy” Sheindlin(Blum)–79 Kensaku Watanabe–62 Jade Jagger–50 Sasha Roiz–48 Jeremy Miller–45 William Estes Nipper–43 Matthew Dallas–39 Aaron Tveit–38 ; 1879 – Thomas Edison invented a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. which was tested the next day and lasted 13.5 hours. This would be the start of the invention of the first commercially practical incandescent light. Popular belief is that he invented the light bulb, which he did not. He invented the first bulb for which use was practical.