Thomas Edison created the first commercially successful practical incandescent light bulb.
Edison did not invent the first electric light. Humphry Davy demonstrated an electric arc lamp in 1802, and other inventors developed incandescent experiments during the 19th century. Edison’s achievement was creating a durable, affordable lamp and the electrical infrastructure needed to use it widely.
In 1879, Edison and his team produced a carbon-filament lamp that could last for many hours. The filament, vacuum, socket, wiring, switches, generators, and distribution network were developed as parts of a larger commercial lighting system. Edison demonstrated the system publicly in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Joseph Swan independently developed a successful incandescent lamp in Britain, and the two men later worked together through the Edison-Swan United company. This is why “Edison invented the light bulb” is a useful shorthand but not a complete history. Edison is best credited with making incandescent electric lighting practical and commercially scalable.