Juan J. Tomadelli
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| Juan J. Tomadelli | |
|---|---|
 Newspaper portrait, c. 1923 | |
| Alias(es) | "Count" Tomadelli; John Joseph Tomadelli |
| Born | 19 August 1885 [1] Trieste, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | November 1962 (77) Dade, Florida |
| Citizenship | American (nat. 1926) |
| Affiliations | Tomadelli Electronic Corporation (Delaware, 1921; New York, 1923) |
| Known for | Bottled Sunlight cold incandescent bulb |
Juan Joseph Tomadelli (August 19, 1885 - November 1962) was an Italian-born American socialite, painter, and electrical engineer who promoted a cold self-sustaining incandescent light bulb, referred to as "Bottled Sunshine," which he claimed would remain lit for up to three years without electrical current, drawing power from the atmosphere. Tomadelli ultimately failed to produce his technology and was charged repeatedly with fraud in connection with the claims, including an attempted enjoinment against selling stock by New York in 1924 (dismissed due to lack of evidence that Tomadelli made representations that were "consciously false and made with intent to deceive"), an injunction against selling stock by New Jersey in 1928, and a conviction in 1942 on federal mail fraud charges.
Selected Patents
- CA266487A. Apparatus for Supplying Energy. (Appareil à production d'énergie.) 7 Dec. 1926, filed 29 May 1923. "Apparatus for supplying energy, comprising a body of matter comprising sun-dried sea salt and a metal intimately mixed together, and means for maintaining controlled atomic change in the sea salt in said body resulting in the release of electronic energy therefrom and for directing the released energy in a predetermined path."
Press Coverage
Bottled Sunshine
First Claims (1923)
- "Heatless Light to Chain Almost Limitless Flow of Power for Mankind's Use; Tube Like Ordinary Electric Bulb Will Flow for Three Years by Putting Atomic Energy to Work, Is Claim", Popular Mechanics: 704-706, November 1923, https://archive.org/stream/PopularMechanics1923/Popular_Mechanics_11_1923#page/n131/mode/2up
Fraud Charges (1942)
- "'Count' Tomadelli Guilty in $420,000 Light Bulb Swindle; 'Man About Town' Faces Maximum Prison Term of 25 Years and $5,000 Fine", Evening Star (Washington, D.C.): A-13, 20 Nov. 1942, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-11-20/ed-1/seq-15/
- "Count Tomadelli Gets 1 to 5 Year Sentence On Swindling Charge; Judge Calls Term Light In Denying Request For New Trial", Evening Star (Washington, D.C.): 1, 2-X, 4 Dec. 1942, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1942-12-04/ed-1/seq-1/
Speed Painting
- "Scientist Becomes Artist Overnight - PAINTS 65 CANVASES IN SIX WEEKS, GIVES THEM AWAY", Evening Star (Washington, D.C.): B-1, 25 Mar. 1932, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1932-03-25/ed-1/seq-17/
- "Tyro Artist Proves Skill; CONVINCES JURY OF SPEEDY ABILITY", Evening Star (Washington, D.C.): A-16, 2 Apr. 1932, https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1932-04-02/ed-1/seq-16/
Notes
- Tomadelli's light bulb was compared to the research of T. Henry Moray during government hearings into the R.E.A. in 1944.