Edison Electric Company began selling small, pear-shaped Christmas light bulbs for trees, as well as tree stands, by 1895. The bulbs initially came only in clear but later in red, green and an assortment of other colors.

Rise of NOMA

Legend has it that 15-year-old Albert Sadacca saw a home burned to the ground because of Christmas tree candles, leading him to pursue safer lighting fixtures when he got older.

Sadacca and his brothers developed strings of small, colored light bulbs in the 1910s that were a hit among shoppers. The family eventually founded the NOMA Electric Company in 1925 based on their success, and it held the title as the largest manufacturer of Christmas lights for the next four decades.