R.E. Dietz Company was a lighting products

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

. They are best known for hot blast and cold blast kerosene lanterns. The company started in 1840 when its founder, 22-year-old Robert Edwin Dietz purchased a

lamp Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to: Lighting * Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source * Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel * Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity * Light fixture, or ligh ...

and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

business in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Though famous for well built indoor and outdoor

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

lanterns, the company was a major player in the automotive lighting industry from the 1920s through into the 1960s. Dietz also produced the majority of road work warning lights. First oil lanterns (Traffic-Gard trademark) and road torches which looked like cannonballs with large wicks.

Kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

was normally used in these lamps. Later they developed some of the first

transistorized upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch e ...

warning lights ( Visi-Flash trademark) using standard 6volt lantern

batteries Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

. These lights either blinked in timed intervals or had a steady light.

In popular culture

The 1992 made-for-cable television film

The Water Engine ''The Water Engine'' is a 1977 play by David Mamet that centers on the violent suppression of a disruptive alternative energy technology. Plot Charles Lang works at a menial job at a factory and lives with his blind sister Rita in an apartme ...

stars

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

as an employee of Dietz Company who invents an engine that runs on distilled water. Unscrupulous lawyers attempt to take possession of the invention based on the claim that it is built from parts and tools owned by Dietz.

External links and sources

Dietz Traffic-Gard history
{{Authority control Lighting brands Manufacturing companies established in 1840

In popular culture

See also

External links and sources