Mazda (light bulb)

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Mazda was a trademarked name used by General Electric and others on incandescent light bulbs from 1909 through 1945. The company chose the name due to its association with Ahura Mazda, god of light in Persian mythology, which is worshipped by the modern-day Parsi Zoroastrians.

The company licensed the Mazda name, socket sizes, and tungsten filament technology, to other manufacturers in order to set a standard for lighting. Bulbs were soon sold by many manufacturers with the Mazda name attached, including Westinghouse. The company advertised their new tungsten bulb standard with paintings by Maxfield Parrish.

The company dropped the campaign in 1945 in the face of competition from Japan. Today, the Mazda name is mostly associated with the Mazda automobile manufacturer of Japan, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. The Mazda trademark is now split between the Japanese firm where it applies to automobiles (including automobile lights and batteries) and General Electric for non-automotive uses.

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