In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fumbling for a light in a dark room was a common household annoyance. When incandescent light bulbs first appeared in Victorian homes, they still had to be switched on individually like the oil and gas lamps that preceded them. John Homes, a prolific English inventor of early electrical systems, solved this problem when he created the quick-break push button light switch in 1884. This switch allowed people to turn on their lights from an easy-to-reach location, in a hallway or room entrance.

The predecessor of the modern toggle light switch, the push button switch has two buttons, one of which is depressed while the other is raised. Pushing in the raised button either opens or closes the electrical connection. In 1890, Granville Woods created a push button dimmer switch that was used in theatres before gaining popularity in the home.

Pushbutton light switches were installed in homes throughout the early 20th century. William J. Newton and Morris Goldberg invented the modern toggle light switch in 1916 and these switches eventually became standard. While original toggle switches still required some force to flip and made a sharp snapping noise, they were considered easier to use than pushbutton switches, and did not have the same tendency to stick as push buttons sometimes did.

Reproduction pushbutton and pushbutton dimmer switches are still available today and are a good choice for homeowners who want to retain the historic character of their house without the risk of sparking, century-old pushbutton switches burning it down.