20-APR1818 :- Birth Of Heinrich Göbel, German-American mechanic and inventor

Heinrich Göbel, later Henry Goebel (April 20, 1818 – December 4, 1893), born in Springe, Germany, was a precision mechanic and inventor. In 1848 he emigrated to New York City, where he resided until his death. He received American citizenship in 1865.

In 1893 the public in the USA and in Europe took notice of Henry Goebel. Magazines and newspapers reported that 25 years earlier Henry Goebel had developed incandescent light bulbs comparable to those invented in the year 1879 by Thomas Alva Edison. Henry Goebel did not apply for a patent.

In 1893 the Edison Electric Light Co. brought suit against three manufacturers of incandescent lamps for infringing Edison´s patent. The defense of these companies claimed the Edison patent was void because of the same invention of Henry Goebel 25 years earlier (Goebel-Defense).

Judges of four courts raised doubts; there was no clear and convincing proof for the claimed invention of Henry Goebel. A research work published in 2007 concluded that the Goebel-Defense was fraudulent.

After the death of Henry Goebel, in some countries, the legend came into being that he was the true inventor of the practical incandescent light bulb.