The history of glow sticks is over 40 years old when Edwin Chandross, a chemist at Bell Labs, invented the glow technology which used chemical energy to emit light. This was quite an achievement as at that point either battery or electrical power was used as an energy source for emission of light.

Many scientists took Chandross' work and refined the process further. Unfortunately for Chandross, the patent for Chemical Light Device was registered by Richard Taylor Van Zandt in the US Patents office.

Glow sticks can be used just once and come in different sizes in translucent plastic tubes. The chemicals contained within are glow stick are isolated in a brittle inner case, which when broken allows the chemicals to combine and produce light through a chemical reaction known as chemoluminescence.

Today, glow sticks are used the world over as a source of light and millions of people all over the world use these colorful sticks. It is believed that nearly 15 million glow sticks are used by the United States Department of Defense each year.

There are many uses of glow sticks and some of them are listed below:

-A dance form known as glow sticking is extremely popular in present day. Glow sticks are used for entertainment in parties, concerts, and dance clubs. This is one of the most widely acknowledged uses of glow sticks in pop culture.

-In Hong Kong, one can see the use of glow sticks during the Mid Autumn Festival. In the US and other countries where Halloween is celebrated, you will find all the kids out on Trick or Treat using glow sticks. Here it has a dual purpose -- it warns oncoming vehicles that children are up and about, and parents use the light of the stick to keep sight of their children.

-Glowsticks have 4 properties that make them favorite tools of divers, campers and the military. They are disposable, inexpensive, waterproof and can withstand high pressures.

If there is an earthquake, these sticks come very handy and are a safe source of light. Even in places where there are explosives, the sticks can be used as they do not use batteries or electrical filaments and there is no worry about causing sparks.

These sticks were a rage in the 1980s. However, they are equally popular today among ordinary people. In order to get the best out of the stick, it is advisable to buy one that lasts. Cheap glow sticks fizzle out rather fast. Better quality stick will last for hours. A good quality glow stick will usually last for 12 to 24 hours.

To find out more, check out this website - it's all about Glowsticks!