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Fast as a ray of light, we headed to our favorite word reference sites to illuminate the origin of this term. As we soon learned, Scottish surveyor and politician Thomas Drummond invented the limelight in 1825. The English chemist Goldsworthy Gurney also invented one around the same time, but Drummond's light became more popular. Drummond burned calcium oxide, the chemical compound known as lime, in a hot hydrogen-oxygen flame to create a brilliant white light that was bright enough to be used for surveying land and in lighthouses. The light was so intense, it could be seen almost 100 miles away. Limelight was soon used
in theaters because it was moderately safer than the gas lights that were used around the stage at that time. When an actor was in the limelight, he or she was center stage and the center of attention, hence the expression we still use today. Limelight was eventually replaced by other, much safer lighting technology, but the phrase remained.
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