Wolff
The world's first UV indoor tanning lamp was made in Germany by a medical company named Heraeus in 1906. They were used to help people with weak bones. Since exposure to sunlight increases levels of Vitamin D in people, tanning lamps and beds help people to develop more calcium and stonger bones. The first tanning beds were used by Friedrich Wolff by chance when he used them to research the effects of sunlight on athletes in the early 1970's.
Unlike the well-researched Europeans, the United States did not do such a good job on the first tanning beds. They emitted excessive amounts of UVB rays, which can cause sunburns. As people discovered UVA rays would give them the tan they desired without the sunburn of UVB rays, the industry took off.
