Sunday, January 24, 2010
Centennial Light Bulb, Livermore CA
In this age of energy efficiency, it is comforting to know that the world’s longest burning light bulb has been around since just after the turn of the century—the 20th century that is. At the Livermore-Pleasanton fire station No. 6 in Northern California, a hand-blown light bulb containing carbon filament is still working since it was first turned on in 1901. At the time, William McKinley was president of the United States and there were only 45 states.
Manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company, the bulb was made from a design by inventor Adolphe A. Chaillet, who competed unsuccessfully against Thomas Edison for dominance in the fledgling electricity market in the late 1800s, even though Chaillet’s bulbs were proven to survive higher voltages. The longest the bulb has been turned off was one week, back in 1937 when the firehouse underwent renovation. In 1976, when the bulb reached its 75th birthday, local police and firemen gave it a full escort during its transfer to its current home at station No. 6, where it runs on a separate power source of 120 volts.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Light Fantastic: World's Oldest Lightbulb Still Burning Bright after 109 Years (by Felix Allen, Daily Mail)
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