World’s oldest light bulb still burning bright after 110 years

This has been burning since June 17th... It has come up in my news feed 12 different times since the original post. Keep her lit! Today is Aug 29th...

When I was a kid, long ago, there was a bulb in our school that had been in regular use for more than 50 years, and was still working just fine. The physics teacher explained why...

Like all very old bulbs, it had a filament made of carbon, not tungsten which newer bulbs use. The electrical resistivity of carbon decreases as its temperature rises, whereas the resistivity of metals such as tungsten increases as they get hotter. If a metal filament develops a narrow spot, it gets hotter than the rest of the filament, so its resistance rises, which makes it even hotter, causing the metal to evaporate and the spot to get even narrower. Soon, the filament breaks. But if a carbon filament develops a narrow spot, it gets slightly hotter, but then its resistance falls, so the temperature does not rise much, and the filament remains intact for much longer.

Carbon filaments are more difficult and expensive to make than metal ones, which is why they dropped out of use. But they do last much better.

Back then, in the 1950s, the explanation for the longevity of carbon filaments was quite well known. Now, apparently, it has been forgotten.

buy domestic, it lasts longer.

How many electricians does it take to change this bulb? None...

Very simple, light bulbs burn out because they are MADE too. if they made them they way they used to, we'd never need replacements!

It's still all about the money.

Really cool, but don't advertise it. Sure as heck, some young punk will want to break it so he can get in the news.

Now THAT is engineering!!!!!!!!! Down with planned obsolescence!

Gotta love the bulb cam, 'bout as stimulating as watching paint dry.

This bulb is not made in China.

Scientists know EXACTLY why. The filament has not been subjected to full voltage, and the bulb is filled with INERT GAS so it cannot OXIDIZE it's way to failure.

THAT light bulb was built BEFORE planned obsolescence became standard practice in North American industry. That nasty practice LIMITS the life of everything manufactured to create demand for more product ---by cheapening and lessening the performance of the product. It's all done in the name of PROFIT..get it? GREED is the NORM.

How could the profiteers rape the public if they ever sold anything that would lasts.

they know why it lasted this long and could have made all bulbs last over 100 years but this is not the way of society.

Same reason old cars are still running in Cuba...made out of decent material, from the US and Canada, and made to last. Once they found out there is no profit in anything that lasts, the product is designed to have a very short shelf life.

I wonder if my bulb will glow when I am age 110. I will be 76 next month and just returned from a medical cliniic to deal with 3 problems. Considering my situation, my hero today is a man aged 100 who is setting many running records in Canada.

"It is a 60 watt bulb and it's turned on for about four watts", care to explain that?

Imagine how much light bulbs would cost if they all lasted 110 years. be thankful that they don't hahaha. But if you do want to get more life from a bulb, buy a 100 watt bulb and install a dimmer switch on it's circut, then set the dimmer to just under half, that bulb should last at least 3 years, and if when you turn on the light you keep the dimmer to the lowest setting and then slowly raise it to the half way mark it will last even longer. good luck folks.

I want one. My 'guaranteed to last 5 years' bulbs all burn out in 4 months.

Any company could make a product, ex. a light bulb to basically last for decades, problem is they would never sell any more after that... -$$$

there is a light bulb going in the ruskin dam thats been on since the dam was built..near mission bc