“Eternal” Light Bulb Still Burns After Over 120 Years Of Service

Could you imagine a world where you never had to replace lightbulbs again? No more burnt-out lamps. The closet full of various lightbulbs could be repurposed. No more inevitable darkness when a light goes on, makes a “phssst” sound (and scares us for a half second), and immediately goes out. Where did you put the flashlight? You know, the one you put in a safe place with easy access for this occasion. It sure would be nice if we could all have eternal light bulbs.

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We could have had eternal light bulbs. A lightbulb in the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department in Livermore, California, has been on continuously for 124 years, since 1901. It is a 60-watt bulb, but it only glows around 4 watts due to age.

The Centennial Light Bulb was handmade in the 1890s by Adolphe Chaillet, founder of the Shelby Electric Company in Ohio. The eternal light bulb is in Guinness World Records and is also in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Deputy Fire Chief Tom Bramell explained that fire department personnel never touch the bulb, not even to dust it off.

The bulb is a standard carbon filament, similar to those produced by Thomas A. Edison in 1879. While there are working Edison bulbs, none have remained continuously lit. Edison gifted a hand-made bulb to his good friend Henry Ford in 1929. That bulb is at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, but is not currently on display to the public. The first Edison carbon bulb from 1879 is at the Smithsonian.

The Shelby Electric Company became synonymous with quality. Edison developed the standard screw base, which Shelby and other bulb manufacturers adopted. That screw base is still in use today with modern bulbs. Shelby continued manufacturing light bulbs until 1914, when the growing General Electric absorbed the small company.

General Electric opted to discontinue production of Shelby’s eternal light bulb. The monopolistic company was looking to the future. They shifted to producing lower-quality bulbs with a shorter life to promote continuing demand and ensure a repetitive sales market. Thus was born the concept of “planned obsolescence.”

The Centennial Light Bulb has continued to shine its light. Remember the eternal light bulb and think about what could have been. Shake your head and think, “They don’t make them like that anymore.”

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You can find the source of this story’s featured image here and here.