Editing Industrial Revolution (section)

===Gas lighting===
Though others made a similar innovation, the large-scale introduction of [[gas lighting]] was the work of [[William Murdoch]], an employee of Boulton & Watt. The process consisted of the large-scale gasification of coal in furnaces, purification of the gas, and its storage and distribution. The first gas lighting utilities were established in London between 1812 and 1820. They became one of the major consumers of coal in the UK. Gas lighting affected social and industrial organisation because it allowed factories and stores to remain open longer. Its introduction allowed nightlife to flourish in cities and towns as interiors and streets could be lighted on a larger scale than before.<ref>Charles Hunt, ''A history of the introduction of gas lighting'' (W. King, 1907) [https://books.google.com/books?id=dAFCAQAAIAAJ&dq=Gas+lighting&pg=PA1 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404131202/https://books.google.com/books?id=dAFCAQAAIAAJ&dq=Gas+lighting&pg=PA1 |date=4 April 2023 }}.</ref>