This 120 Year Old Light Bulb Still Works!

A light bulb at California’s Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department has been flickering since 1901. The Centennial Light was manually made by Adolphe Chaillet, the founder of Shelby Electric Company in the 1890s. It has been noted by the Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and General Electric. “We don’t even dust it off,” retired Deputy Fire Chief Tom Bramell told Inside Edition in 2018. Inside Edition Digital’s Stephanie Officer explains how the bulb just keeps on burning.

[NicoleRitchey]

I cannot believe that light bulb has worked for so long! That is insane! The ones they make now don't even last nearly as long as they promise .

[nicholasmohr]

I remember when inside edition covered this last time. It’s good to still see it still burning bright.

[teptime]

I worked in a building in San Francisco that was built in 1911(possibly 1913, according to some records). The basement floor houses an enormous steam boiler, so big that the building was built around it. There was a space of about 3 feet between it and the far wall of the boiler room, with an access point too narrow for an adult to squeeze through. Water had been unexplainably appearing on the floor of that room. I was very slim at the time, and the maintainance man asked if I'd mind squeezing my head through with a flashlight to see if there was water coming through any of the walls on the far side of the boiler. When I looked back there, I saw no water, but there was a wood box with unidentifiable stuff in it. I couldn't get my arm in far enough to reach it, so we found a rebar rod long enough to catch the lip of the box to pull it closer. In it were a pair of leather gloves, an old folding measuring tool, a jar filled with nails, and two dusty but beautiful Edison bulbs. I was later told that both were in working condition, but I'm not sure what became of them.

[TheLiamster]

It’s actually been through 2 worldwide pandemics. The first was the Spanish Flu

[chrispswann]

Light bulbs can be made to last basically forever, however companies intentionally make bulbs that will break down because they want you to buy more light bulbs. It's not in their financial interest that you buy one light bulb and never buy another one

[deemoe]

I remember back in 1980 when I was a kid, I went to a Consolidated Edison light expo in NYC. They gave every family one energy efficiency lightbulb that never blows out. We had it in my family for about 20 years never had to change it! Sad to say I don't know what happened to that lightbulb. I think someone in my family through It away by accident I don't know. But I thought that was really cool back then.

[QAYWSXEDCCXYDSAEWQ]

What is shame is that the technology/research and design has been lost over time. I can recall a documentary about how the companies making lightbulbs banded together to form a monopoly and stopped looking for ways to make lightbulbs last longer; although they did invent planned obsoleteness.

[sjcflawless]

Yoo! I remember seeing this on Inside Edition almost 20 years ago. It’s still on?! 😮😮

[tipo]

One touch of that bulb will leave you burning not physically but also spiritually

[adsn]

Now Henry Kissinger became the official measurement tool of AGE😮

[RioSul]

I own a working 1987 Japanese made microwave oven (Citizen brand). The light bulb inside is original and still works. That microwave oven has been used for decades so I consider it an anomaly. No record but one of the best investments I ever made. I also own and use a Maytag oven I bought in 1998. I have had to repair the plastic face cover on the clock/timer/controller. Outside of the it has worked perfectly for 26 years. I replaced the light bulb in once in 26 years.

[daithi]

The news reports often refer to it as 120 years old or mention the 1901 date when it was donated to the fire department, but it was actually made in 1890 and used at the water company for over a decade before it was given to the fire department, so it is over 130 years old.

[nyaa]

The light of his life. It's beautiful

[dpellek]

The government won't let us have things that last. That's why they stopped making those

[shawnp]

I remember seeing this a few years ago

[dougpowers]

My parents bought a new home in 1953. In 2014 we replaced the water heater only because it developed a small leak that's 61 years folks, wow) But it ran continuously for all those years with ZERO maintenance, never drained, never replaced an anode, nor a thermostat. It was a Bradford and to this day I haven't heard of another. I considered keeping and probably should have, being an anomaly.

[XolaresTiberius]

It uses more power than newer incandescent bulbs! Thats why they balanced light output and energy usage. But it is cool how long it lasted.

[SanFernandoValleyRose]

I heard of this story from Huell Howser's PBS show over 20 yrs ago. Glad it's still working.

[patricialester]

WOW INDEED. NOW THAT IS AMAZING TO SAY THE LEAST.

[cassyblaze]

That's one light that doesn't want to be shut off lol 😂