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Encyclopedia > Centennial Light
The Centennial Light hanging in the Livermore, California Firehouse.

The Centennial Light is the world's longest lasting light bulb. It is located at 4550 East Avenue, Livermore, California[1] and maintained by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. The fire department claims that the bulb is at least 106 years old and has only been turned off a handful of times. Due to its longevity, the bulb has been noted by The Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It or Not! and General Electric.[2] Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. ... Light bulb redirects here. ... Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. ... Location of Pleasanton within Alameda County, California. ... Guinness World Records 2008 edition. ... For the TV series, see Ripleys Believe It or Not (TV series). ... “GE” redirects here. ...

Contents

History

The Centennial Light is a 4 watt,[3] hand blown, carbon filament, common light bulb that was manufactured in Shelby, Ohio by the Shelby Electric Company[4] in the late 1890s; many just like it still exist and can be found functioning.[5] According to Mrs. Zylpha Bernal Beck, the bulb was donated to the Fire Department by her father, Dennis Bernal in 1901.[6] Mr. Bernal owned the Livermore Power and Water Company and donated the bulb to the fire station when he sold the company. This story has been supported by several firefighter volunteers of that era. For other uses, see Watt (disambiguation). ... Shelby is a city in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. ...


The bulb's precise history is difficult to ascertain, although evidence suggests the bulb has hung in at least four locations. It was originally hung in 1901 in a hose cart house on L Street,[7] then moved to a garage in downtown Livermore that was used by both the fire and police departments.[8] When the fire department consolidated, it was moved again to a newly-constructed City Hall that housed the unified departments. Its unusual longevity was first noticed in 1972 by a reporter named Mike Dunstan. After weeks of interviewing people who had lived in Livermore all their lives, he wrote an article entitled "Light Bulb May Be World's Oldest", which was published in the Tri-Valley Herald. This began the general public's interest in the bulb.[citation needed] The article came to the attention of Charles Kuralt of the TV program On the Road with Charles Kuralt. Kuralt contacted Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and General Electric who all confirmed its age and longevity to be the longest known in existence. In 1976, the fire department moved to Fire Station #6, with the bulb; the bulb's cord was severed for fear that unscrewing it could damage it. It was only deprived of electricity for ten minutes during the transfer, which was made in a specially-designed box and with full firetruck escort. An electrician was on hand to install the bulb into the new fire station's emergency generator. In 2001, the bulb's 100th birthday was celebrated with a community baroque and live music.[4] As of 2006, the bulb has been continuously lit for 30 years. ANG Newspapers (Alameda Newspaper Group), based in Oakland, California, is a subisidary of the Denver, Colorado based MediaNews Group. ... Charles Kuralt Charles Kuralt (10 September 1934 – 4 July 1997) was an award-winning American journalist whose long career with CBS made him famous as the motor home-traveling reporter whose chronicling of out-of-the-news American people and living made him as much of a household name as... Guinness World Records 2008 edition. ... For the TV series, see Ripleys Believe It or Not (TV series). ... “GE” redirects here. ...


The bulb is cared for by the Centennial Light Bulb Committee, a partnership of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, Livermore Heritage Guild, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and Sandia National Laboratories. The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department plans to house and maintain the bulb for the rest of its lifetime, regardless of length. When it finally does go out, they have no plans as to what will be done with it; Ripley's Believe it or Not! has requested it for their museum.[4] The bulb's long life has been attributed to its low wattage, near continuous operation, and dedicated power supply.[9]


Publicity

The Centennial Lights "Bulb Cam"

The bulb was officially listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "the Most Durable Light", in 1972, replacing another bulb in Fort Worth, Texas. The bulb was listed in the book for the next sixteen editions. It was not listed during 1988-2006, without a reason being given, before returning in 2007.[10] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Nickname: Motto: Where the West Begins Location of Fort Worth in Tarrant County, Texas Coordinates: , Country State Counties Tarrant and Denton Government  - Mayor Michael J. Moncrief Area  - City  298. ...


According to the fire chief, every few months a news outlet will publish a story on the bulb, generating visitors and general interest, then it will drop back into obscurity for a while. Dozens of magazines and newspapers have featured articles on the bulb.[11] The bulb has been visited and featured by many major news channels[11] in the United States, including NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS,[12] WB, CNN and NPR.[1] The bulb has received letters acknowledging and celebrating its longevity from the city of Shelby, Ohio,[13] the Alameda County Board of Supervisors,[14] the California State Assembly,[15] the California State Senate,[16] Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher,[17] Senator Barbara Boxer,[18] and President George W. Bush.[19] The bulb was featured on an episode of Mythbusters which first aired on December 13, 2006.[20][21] It also appeared in the PBS documentary Livermore. News channels are television specialty channels which focus on presenting news content. ... This article is about the television network. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... “Fox News” redirects here. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... The Warner Bros. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... “NPR” redirects here. ... Shelby is a city in Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. ... The California State Assembly chamber California State Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. ... California State Senate chamber The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. ... Ellen OKane Tauscher (born November 15, 1951), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing Californias 10th congressional district (map). ... Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: MythBusters The cast/crew of the television series MythBusters performs experiments to verify or debunk urban legends, old wives tales, and the like. ... MythBusters is an American popular science television program on the Discovery Channel starring special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, who use basic elements of the scientific method to test the validity of various rumors and urban legends in popular culture. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


On 24 May 2007, the bulb was Steve Wright's featured webcam of the day on the BBC's Radio 2 website. is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Stephen Richard (Steve) Wright (born August 26, 1954 in Greenwich, London) is a radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ...


The bulb has its own website, and can be continuously viewed, by webcam, over the Internet. The site is maintained by the Centennial Light Bulb Committee, a partnership of the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department, Livermore Heritage Guild, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, and Sandia National Laboratories. The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department welcomes visitors to come and see the bulb, but makes no guarantee that officers will be on duty to let them in; if officers are unavailable, visitors are encouraged to simply view it through the window. A typical webcam A web camera (or webcam) is a real-time camera (usually, though not always, a video camera) whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video calling application. ...


See also

  • Longest-lasting light bulbs

The worlds longest lasting light bulb is the Centennial Light located at 4550 East Avenue, Livermore, California. ...

References

  1. ^ a b "Century Light Bulb", National Public Radio, 2001-06-10. Retrieved on 2007-01-15. 
  2. ^ The Little Bulb That Could… and Does article from VIA. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
  3. ^ Centennial bulb at USA Today. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
  4. ^ a b c Livermore's Centennial Light Facts. Retrieved on 2006-12-17.
  5. ^ Steve's Shelby Collection. Retrieved on January 20, 2007
  6. ^ [1] Retrieved on January 20, 2007
  7. ^ Light Bulb May Be World's Oldest
  8. ^ Livermore timeline at PSB.org
  9. ^ Light Bulb Methuselahs at Roadside America.
  10. ^ Guinness page
  11. ^ a b Articles. Livermore's Centennial Light.
  12. ^ "Eternal Light Bulb", CBS Evening News, March 23, 1972. 
  13. ^ Proclamation: Livermore/Pleasanton California Centennial Light (jpg). City of Shelby (June 6, 2001). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  14. ^ Resolution: Congratulations Livermore's Centennial Light, 1901–2001 (jpg). Board of Supervisors, County of Alameda, State of California (June 8, 2001). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  15. ^ Certificate of Recognition (jpg). California State Assembly. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  16. ^ Certificate of Recognition (jpg). State of California Senate (June 8, 2001). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  17. ^ Ellen O. Tauscher (June 8, 2001). Letter of congratulations (jpg). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  18. ^ Barbara Boxer (June 8, 2001). Letter of congratulations (jpg). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  19. ^ George W. Bush (June 1, 2001). Letter from the President (jpg). Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  20. ^ Mythbusters Interview. Livermore's Centennial Light..
  21. ^ Mythbusters episode guide at Discovery Channel.

“NPR” redirects here. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 161st day of the year (162nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. ... is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... “PBS” redirects here. ... CBS Evening News is the flagship nightly television news program of the American television network CBS. The network has broadcast this program since 1948, and has used the CBS Evening News title since 1963. ... is the 82nd day of the year (83rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel founded by John Hendricks which is distributed by Discovery Communications. ...

External links

Coordinates: 37°40′50″N 121°45′36″W / 37.68056, -121.76 “PBS” redirects here. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...



 
 

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