Just the facts:

Neon Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Neon gas was first discovered by William Ramsay and Morris Travers in 1898 in London. Neon signs are the result of French engineer and chemist, Georges Claude. In 1902 Georges and his French company Claude applied an electric discharge to a sealed tube of neon gas to create a neon lamp. By 1923, Claude Neon had introduced neon gas signs to the United States; however, neon reached its height of popularity in the 1940s and 1950s with many colourful designs that advertised a huge range of products.

I particularly remember two neon signs in Sydney. One was a massive animated red and white neon sign advertising Coco Cola which was erected at Kings Cross in 1974. Another was an animated neon sign over a sports store (mainly golfing). The sign was composed of a figure hitting a golf ball in an arc into a hole and a flag. The flag on the sign shows the number 19, referring to the golfing reference of the "19th hole" as the clubhouse after a round of golf. It was erected in 1964 and and operated until 2007.