It is safe to say that the light bulb is one of the most important inventions in history. Most of us take these little glass balls for granted until they burn out. Then we just get annoyed.
But in 1901, things were very different. Only 3 percent of Americans had electricity back then, so when the volunteer fire department in Livermore, California received its first light bulb, it was a big deal.
The light bulb was a gift from the Livermore Hydropower Company. It made work a lot easier when fires broke out in the middle of the night. Now the firefighters no longer stumbled in the dark, but could see all their equipment. Harnessing horses to hose carts has become much easier.
In 1906, the fire department moved to a new building. The firefighters collected all their equipment and drove it down the street. And, of course, they took a light bulb with them. It was the only light bulb with me, and besides, it was still on. In fact, they kept it on around the clock and without interruption. That was quite impressive even back then, considering that the average American incandescent lamp has a lifespan of 1,000 to 2,000 hours.
But that's what … When the hose carts were replaced by fire trucks, the light continued to illuminate the garage, hanging from the roof on a long cord. Finally, in 1971, Fire Chief Jack Baird asked a reporter to find out everything he could about a mysterious light bulb that never burns out.
As it turns out, this particular light bulb was invented by the American Shelby Electric Company, founded in the late 1890s by a French immigrant named Adolphe Scheile. He was a rather remarkable person - he graduated from the French and German academies and worked as something of a professional showman. To prove the superiority of his product, Scheile took several types of light bulbs, screwed them into a theater signboard and turned on the electricity at full power.
The result was always the same - every light bulb exploded … except his own. Thanks to these demonstrations, the Frenchman could boldly claim that his wares last 30 percent longer than any other light bulb in the world. This continued until his firm was bought out by General Electric.
In the 70s, Jack Baird was impressed by the durability of the Scheile lamp. Therefore, when in 1976 the firefighters moved to a new location again, the light bulb was transported with honors. She was placed in a special red box and accompanied by an escort with sirens and flashing lights.
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The Centennial Light is still on at Fire Station 6. With very few exceptions (power failure, relocation and repairs), it has been in operation for over 115 years.
As you might expect, this timeless lamp has long attracted a lot of attention. He was shown in the famous program "Mythbusters", he was entered in the Guinness Book of Records. On his 100th birthday, George W. Bush even visited him. This lamp also has its own webcam.
But why is this light bulb so special? How could she hold out for so long? Nobody knows for sure. Some people think this is all a joke, but such skeptics are in the minority. One of the researchers believes that the reason lies in the unique design of the lamp. As it turned out, the fibers in Shelby lamps are already eight times thicker than conventional ones. Plus, they are made from carbon rather than traditional tungsten.
Of course, this does not explain how the Livermore light bulb survived the average human life span, the two world wars, the rise and fall of the USSR, the invention of the Internet, and the 9/11 attacks. Perhaps the only way to find out her secret is to wait until it burns out completely, and then open and study it. But when the Centennial Light goes out completely, the world will get a little darker. And less wonderful. Therefore, let's hope that it will enlighten for many years to come.
