Why did early researchers think titanium might be useful for incandescent-lamp filaments?

Early researchers, including those at the General Electric Company, initially believed that titanium was a promising candidate for incandescent-lamp filaments because they estimated the metal had an exceptionally high melting point of 6,000 °C (10,800 °F).1

In the context of lamp technology, a high melting point is a critical property for filaments, as it allows the lamp to operate at higher temperatures, resulting in more efficient and whiter light output. However, the effort to use titanium for this purpose was abandoned after M.A. Hunter produced metallic titanium and discovered that its actual melting point was significantly lower, at approximately 1,800 °C (3,300 °F).21