These days most electric bulbs only last for a handful of years at best, but an old carbon filament light bulb has been shining light continuously for over a century since 1901. This legendary bulb is called the Centennial Bulb. It is installed at the Livermore Fire Department Number 6 in California, USA. The Guinness World Records has given it the title of “Longest burning light bulb”. The handblown bulb was manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company in Shelby, Ohio between 1899-1900. In 1901, it was donated to the Livermore Fire Department by Dennis Bernal, owner of the Livermore Power and Water Company.
Retired Deputy Fire Chief Tom Bramell, the author of “A Million Hours of Service, the Centennial Light Bulb Facts and History”, spoke to The Mercury News about how the bulb was deemed extremely useful by the fire department. He said that back in the 1990s when light bulbs were still uncommon, “the firefighters had to light kerosene lanterns, and when they got the bulb they were able to see at night.”
The bulb was first installed at a fire station on L Street where it remained lit until 1976. It was switched off for 22 minutes when it was moved from the L Street fire station to its current site. According to the Guinness World Records, “There has only been one break in its (the bulb’s) operation when it was removed from one fire station and fitted in another.”
Visitors can go to Livermore Fire Department Number 6 to see the bulb which now operates at 4 watts instead of its full strength of 60 watts. As per centennialbulb.org, the best times to visit are 10 am to 11:30 am and 3 pm to 5 pm.
In 2001, former US President George W Bush wrote a letter to the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department on the occasion of the bulb’s 100th anniversary. In the letter, he described the bulb as “an enduring symbol of the American spirit of invention” and “a source of community pride.”
Tom Bramell told The Mercury News in 2022 that he thinks the bulb would work for another 100 years and said, “At some point in time, it will expire. Everything expires, but it’s an incredible achievement of technology. It’s still there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, lighting the station for the firefighters — just like when it was installed.”
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