David Dwight (D.D.) Sturgeon, a Denver electrician, opened Sturgeon Electric Company, Inc. in 1912 in downtown Denver. He had an ill son and decided to create a display during Christmas of 1914 to cheer him up. Sturgeon dipped bulbs into colored paint and hung them from a tree in the yard creating what we now know as Christmas lights. Although it's possible that other people might have used outdoor Christmas lights before him, he inspired many others to create their own and led to the world’s first outdoor electric lighted Christmas display in 1919 right here in Denver. By the late 1920s, Denver had earned the nickname "Christmas Capital of the World" for its outdoor decorations and Christmas lights.
– Courtesy of Ornella Dettori - Photo courtesy Denver Public Library.