I work at a historic house museum that was originally built with electricity way back in the 1890s. Electricity was so new at the time that the family had to use their own generator. Although I talk about “light” a lot, I probably can’t compete with the guys who work at Fire Station 6 in Livermore, California where a light bulb has burned continuously for at least 113 straight years. Known as the Centennial Light, the bulb has been officially recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, and General Electric. Double-decked buses full of Chinese tourists occasionally stop to see it. And in case you’re wondering, the light has been moved a few times, yet it has not burned out and nobody knows why. It might have to do with its low wattage and nearly uninterrupted operation (hey kids, never give up on a light bulb). It received a special ceremony with a full police and fire truck escort when it was moved to its present site in 1976. And you guessed right…the light bulb has its own website where you can watch it on steady cam if you have nothing better to do. Luckily, the bulb came back to life after it “burned out” for seven hours back in 2013. Apparently the power supply had just been faulty. I’ve never seen a light bulb get so much love and attention. I should probably give more respect to my overhead light, and then maybe I won’t ever have to change it again.
Centennial Light
