Newsboys Wear Neon Signs (Jan, 1937)
Newsboys Wear Neon Signs
NEWSBOYS who sell the Los Angeles Times are supplied with small neon electric signs having the word “TIMES” in capital letters. The signs, worn at night, stand out in traffic and protect the boys against possible accidents from passing autos. The signs were designed by A. A. Allen, an electrical engineer, and will burn steadily for 48 hours without changing the dry cell battery. These signs, besides protecting boys, attract pedestrians and increase sales.
EXTREE! EXTREE!
NEWSBOY ELECTROCUTED IN RAINSTORM!
READ ALL ABout…. it?
Neon? How much would a dry-cell battery and transformer capable of lighting that sign weigh in 1937? It couldn’t have been comfortable.
Now that you mention it glindsey, DC to AC conversion would require a mechannical ‘chopper’ like a doorbell (without the bell)
That would also stepup the voltage.
To us in the 21st century, we can’t imagine it being done without semiconductor technology.