Original: Sir Joseph Wilson Swan ( 31 October 1828 -- 27 May 1914 ) was an English physicist and chemist , most famous for the invention of the incandescent light bulb for which he received the first patent in 1878 .
Simplified: Sir Joseph Wilson Swan ( October 31 , 1828 -- May 27 , 1914 ) was an English physicist and chemist who was well known because he created the incandescent light bulb .