Whenever you take a stroll down your local downtown businesses on Main Street enjoying a nice night on the town, have you ever wondered how and why all of those neon signs got in the windows? Some local business owners may use them more than others to let pedestrians know whether they are opened or closed, have vacancy or are full, or whether they are out to lunch. But it’s a safe bet that every Main Street in America has at least one such neon sign. So how did neon get so popular?

Why do so many businesses use neon signs anyway? There are a variety of answers to these questions, but most of them revolve around the concept that they catch people’s attention easily. After all, we do notice them right? Most historians agree that the first neon signs emerged at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, Illinois, not too long after the discovery of neon gas. Georges Claude is credited with the invention of the neon sign. From 1893 to present day, they steadily started to build in popularity, and eventually became commonplace on main streets nation wide. Although they required little maintenance and were able to shine for days without replacing bulbs, etc, they weren’t any more energy efficient than traditional incandescent lights.

The thing that made them popular was their bright and attention grabbing looks. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it because, even to this day, they are used primarily for advertising purposes in the window fronts of local stores. But their sole function of grabbing people’s attention also calls into question whether or not they will face a decline, or perhaps even go extinct the ways of the dinosaur. Why pose such a gloomy question? Because energy efficiency is the name of the game today, and neon signs simply is not energy efficient. Neon signs had kept about even with incandescent lights in terms of energy efficiency throughout history, but they are nowhere near as efficient as some of the new technology we are seeing these days. The question we must ask is: what will win out- stealing one’s attention at all costs with glittery neon signs, or saving a few bucks on the every so escalating light bills? So next time you take a stroll down main street and see all of the neon signs, or even led signs, remember them. For better or for worse, the days of seeing them light up your downtown just may be numbered.