Neon Signs: Dying of the Light

Le insegne luminose iniziarono ad apparire nelle metropoli circa cento anni fa, e con il tempo sono diventate sinonimo di capitalismo selvaggio e consumismo sfrenato. Ora che stanno scomparendo dalle nostre strade c’è chi vuole conservare la loro memoria.

Aggiornato il giorno

Las Vegas in 1962.
Stampare

For almost a hundred years, neon signs have been part of city architecture for millions of people. When we think of New York theatres, or the casinos of Las Vegas, or Piccadilly Circus in London, or the busy shopping streets of Hong Kong, we think of bright, glowing neon lights. For decades, these signs symbolised capitalism and consumerism. In recent years, however, the lights have started to dim.  

Accidental Discovery

Neon lighting was discovered accidentally in 1902 by the French engineer Georges Claude when, in an experiment, he sent the gas neon through8 electrified glass tubes. The revolutionary new lighting quickly replaced the traditional sign bulbs, first in France and then all over Europe. Claude took neon lightning to the US twenty years later. Here its use exploded, helped by the rapidly-growing popularity of the motor car. Americans opened businesses beside the new roads and used bright neon signs to attract passing drivers.

America’s Neon Exhibition

America in the 1930s became a giant neon light exhibition. Times Square was its epicenter. Neon signs were everywhere, from ordinary shops to chains of car dealers. They quickly formed part of the American identity. Hollywood fell in love with their cinematic quality and used them in films such as American Graffiti, Blade Runner, Saturday Night Fever and Psycho. In the 1950s and 1960s, however, some American businesses started to move to cheaper alternatives. But the signs remained popular with bars, hotels and restaurants.

Rivalry with LEDs

The popularity of neon began to fall seriously from the 1980s. The lights were expensive to maintain and had a new rival in LED bulbs. People considered them ugly. New York had tens of thousands of signs in the 1970s. Now there are only a few hundred. The same is happening all over the world. Hong Kong, with its iconic neon-lit streets, is turning to LEDs, and thousands of neon signs are disappearing.    

Neon’s Global Culture

However, neon lights have a special place in our collective memory. There are now museums dedicated to neon lights in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Hong Kong. Some cities are even building sign parks to conserve them. There are also website photo collections and even hashtags, such as #signhunters. And now you can even buy your own made-to-measure sign online, starting at $200 and $7 a letter!

David Bowie: Constantly Changing

People

David Bowie: Constantly Changing

Nella sua carriera David Bowie riuscì a produrre una lunga serie di hit mondiali che spaziano tra diversi generi. Oltre che per la musica, la sua fama è dovuta alla capacità di cambiare continuamente look e personaggio. Il suo contributo alla musica pop è davvero inimitabile.

Conor Gleeson

More in Explore

Prepararsi al test IELTS: suggerimenti e trucchi
iStock

Tips and resources

Prepararsi al test IELTS: suggerimenti e trucchi

Hai deciso di sostenere l'IELTS e vuoi prepararti da solo? Questa informazione ti interessa. Ti spieghiamo in cosa consiste e come prepararti con successo a questo esame di inglese.

Julia Nigmatullina

TODAY’S TOP STORIES

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History
GETTY IMAGES

Culture

Australia’s Aboriginals: Repairing History

La costruzione dell’Australia come nazione è inseparabile dall’oppressione che subirono gli indigeni dell’isola. Negli ultimi anni il Paese ha iniziato un processo di riparazione storica per un popolo che ancora oggi soffre delle conseguenze del colonialismo.

Estela Saldaña

I connettivi in inglese: quali sono e come usarli

Grammar

I connettivi in inglese: quali sono e come usarli

I connettivi sono un elemento particolarmente importante nella costruzione del discorso in inglese. Vediamo cosa sono i connettivi, quali sono (ne esistono molti!) e la loro funzione.

Alicia Burton

Michelle García