Tuesday, June 21, 2011

 Oldest Light Bulb: world record set by Livermore firehouse light (Video)

LIVERMORE, CA, USA -- The 5-watt carbon filament bulb burning in the Fire Department, Livermore, south Alameda County, California, which has been burning since 1901, sets the world record for the Oldest Light Bulb .

  Photo: The World's Oldest Working Light Bulb. Going strong after 110 years. ( enlarge photo )

  The Guinness world record for the Longest burning light bulb was set by The Livermore Centennial Light Bulb, at Firestation #6, Livermore, California, USA, has been burning since it was installed in 1901.

 Guinness World Records also recognized the farthest light bulb throw: 32.52 m (106.68 ft), achieved by Bipin Larkin (USA) at Cunningham Park, New York, New York, USA.

  As the story goes, Livermore Power and Light Company owner Dennis Bernal donated the bulb to the Fire Department in 1901, a time when there were just one or two electric bulbs in all of Livermore and the modern convenience would have been welcomed by the city's volunteer "fire boys," as they were then called.

  The Livermore lightbulb never gets turned off, which many suspect is the secret to its longevity.

  The average bulb last for 750-1,000 hours. Livermore's bulb has burned for nearly a million hours.

 As objet d'art and enduring symbol of American reliability and ingenuity, it's been lauded by senators and presidents.

  Ex-firefighter Tom Bramell:"I believe the bulb has stayed alive so many years because the makers gave it a perfect seal, so no air gets inside the bulb to help disintegrate the carbon filament. This bulb operates in a vacuum and it doesn't burn hot. That's the secret."

  Manufactured by the Shelby Electric Co. of Shelby, Ohio, the bulb soon outlived its maker, which closed in 1914.

   "I know this bulb and the service it has provided for so long is timeless. The light bulb is so amazing; it brings people together from all over the world," , said retired Deputy Fire Chief Tom Bramell.