In the
signage industry,
neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous
gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied
neon or other gases. They are the most common use for
neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in December 1910 by
Georges Claude at the
Paris Motor Show. While they are used worldwide, neon signs were extremely popular in the United States from about 1920–1960. The installations in
Times Square, many originally designed by
Douglas Leigh, were famed, and there were nearly 2000 small shops producing neon signs by 1940. In addition to
signage, neon lighting is now used frequently by
artists and
architects, and (in a modified form) in
plasma display panels and televisions. The signage industry has declined in the past several decades, and cities are now concerned with preserving and restoring their antique neon signs.