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A lamp that illuminates a fire station in Livermore, California, will turn 124 years old in 2025. According to , it is the longest burning lamp in the world and, according to a 2021 study, it could remain that way for longer a century.
For a long time, the lamp’s operation was recorded by live webcams. Three generations of cameras were used in the difficult job of monitoring the lamp’s longevity – (credit: Reproduction/Rjaerial/Wikimedia Commons)
The 60-watt one — now operating at just 4 watts — was turned off a few times over the years, either out of necessity — like when a renovation was carried out in the barracks in 1930, and the lamp was left off for a week — or by accident or due to power outages.
For a long time, the lamp’s operation was recorded by live webcams. Three generations of cameras were used in the difficult job of monitoring lamp longevity.
The century-old lamp
An LED lamp has an estimated useful life of around 50 thousand hours (six years), although some people point out that the duration can reach up to 100 thousand hours (around ten years). Engineer Martin Kykta, president of MAK Electro-Optics, carried out a study in 2021, where he analyzed the structure of the century-old lamp and predicted that it could remain lit for another century — due to the low power at which it currently remains.
The lamp was handmade by the Shelby Electric Company and delivered to the fire department in 1901. Incandescent lamps in the 20th century began to have tungsten as the predominant material, due to its greater tolerance to oxygen and higher melting temperature. However, the interior of the century-old lamp contains a carbon filament that is more resistant and under vacuum — ensuring constant low-intensity light —, proving extremely durable.
Documents indicate that, despite being received by Livermore firefighters in 1901, the lamp was lit in 1902. Guinness World Records recorded the year of receipt as the initial year. In 2015, the Livermore Firefighters Foundation celebrated the lamp’s one million hour milestone.
*Intern under the supervision of Luciana Corrêa
