Current Date: 08 Mar, 2026
{{entry.title}}

Longest burning light bulb, The centennial light bulb in livermore, California

The world's longest lasting light bulb holds the Guinness World Record, and has been illuminating local fire stations in Livermore, California since 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.

Originally a 30-watt lamp, the Centennial Light now produces nearly as much light as a 4-watt nightlight. The hand-blown, carbon-filament common light bulb was created by French inventor Adolphe Chaillet, who also applied for a patent for it. It was produced in the late 1890s by the Shelby Electric Company in Shelby, Ohio, and many others just like it are still in use today.

Dennis Bernal, according to Zylpha Bernal Beck, gave the lightbulb to the fire department in 1901. The Livermore Power and Water Company was owned by Bernal, who also donated the lightbulb to the fire department after selling the business.

In 1972, journalist Mike Dunstan discovered its extraordinary tenacity. After spending weeks interviewing residents of Livermore who had lived there all of their lives, he published “Light Bulb May Be World’s Oldest” in the Tri-Valley Herald.

Longest burning light bulb 1
photo credit: atlasobscura.com

Dunstan got in touch with General Electric, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and the Guinness Book of World Records, all of which confirmed that it was the world’s longest-lasting bulb. The post was informed to Charles Kuralt of the CBS-TV program On the Road with Charles Kuralt.

In order to prevent the bulb from being destroyed if the lamp’s socket was unscrewed, the cord was severed before the lamp was moved to Fire Station #6 for the fire department in 1976. Only 22 minutes were lost during the switch, which was carried out in a specially constructed box with a full firetruck escort.

The emergency generator at the new fire station was connected to the light bulb by an electrician on site. According to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, the brief interruption will not affect the bulb’s history of consistent fires. Since then, the light has been powered by an uninterruptible power source; previously, it had only been taken off the grid for brief periods of time (for example, a week in 1937 for a renovation).

Longest burning light bulb 2
centennial light bulb with webcam. photo credit: tripadvisor.com

A dedicated webcam allowed the general public to see the bulb had apparently burned out on the evening of May 20, 2013. The following morning, an electrician was contacted to confirm the situation. The light wasn’t burned out, as was discovered when the dedicated power source was turned off using an extension cable. The power supply was found to be broken. The sun had been out for nearly nine hours and 45 minutes before it was finally restored.

Fun Facts About the Bulb

  • The Centennial Light Bulb turned 100 years old in 2001. There was live music and a community barbecue!
  • In 2013, those who keep an eye on bulbs were startled when the light seemed to go out. Fortunately, a bad power supply was the culprit. Shortly after, the Centennial Light Bulb lit up.
  • The live webcam on the light bulb allows you to check on its progress even though it might not make for particularly compelling entertainment.

A Burning Conspiracy

The Centennial Bulb is more than just a piece of filament, metal, and glass artifact. Given its past and remarkable durability, there must be more to this tiny relic than just its production. The most well-known lightbulb myth is that once upon a time, things were made to last. Beginning in the 1920s, a group of businessmen understood that if a product refused to age, then it would spell the end for their industry. The first global cartel to shorten the life of the incandescent light bulb was soon after established.

Similar Stories
Australian man dies, comes back to life, and wins the lottery twice

Australian man dies, comes back to life, and wins the lottery twice

Bill Morgan, an Australian, is a man who has beat the odds. He escaped death by surviving a horrific automobile accident and heart attack before collapsing into a coma and going on to win the lotto twice. He went from losing virtually everything to winning far more than he could have imagined.

Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island

Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island

During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored closed to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A subway in Chongqing passes through a building (images)

A train has been constructed through an apartment complex in Chongqing, China. The 19-story residential structure is not only passed by the light rail passenger train, but it also serves as a transit stop. Apartment residents can simply get a ride from the sixth to eighth levels.

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time

The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile

One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes

Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’

In 2009, Gergely Barki, an art historian, was watching the film Stuart Little (1999) when he spotted an original long-lost painting used as a prop. Called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, this painting was the work of Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény. The painting had been considered lost after World War II.

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001

In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.