Editor's note: Okay - so this topic may be stretch the definition a "glass fact" — but given the headlines these days (and the unheard of forecast that Rita may still be a hurricane when she rolls by GlassFacts.Info headquarters here in Austin this weekend) I figured y'all would be willing to humor me :-) - Paul
There are several, slightly different definitions for "hurricane lamp" out there. Almost all agree, though, that to have the name hurricane the lamp needs to have a tubular glass chimney and a perforated metal top.
The ambiguity around the definition is probably part of the reason there seems to be no definitve claim of when the hurricane lamp was invented or by whom.
