1 American, 2 Japanese awarded Nobel for LED lights

Two Japanese and one American scientist were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for inventing blue light-emitting diodes, which launched the development of LED technology.

Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano of Japan, and U.S. scientist Shuji Nakamura were the winners of the Nobel for their invention, which is only 20 years old, the Associated Press reports.

{mosads}The breakthrough to produce the blade diodes that are critical in creating white light from LEDS came in the 1990s.

“It has already contributed to create white light in an entirely new manner to the benefit of us all,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Science said of the invention.

“They succeeded where everyone else had failed,” the Nobel committee said, according to AP. “Incandescent light bulbs lit the 20th century; the 21st century will be lit by LED lamps.”