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107-Year-Old Bulb States the Case for Leaving Lights On

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The LA Times has written a sweet little feature about Livermore Fire House’s lightbulb that has been burning for 107 years without a break—unless you count the 22 minutes it took to transport the bulb from Fire Department HQ to Station No. 6 in 1979. That’s almost a million hours’ worth of low-wattage, you know. Unofficial keeper of the bulb, retired firefighter Tom Bramell reckons its longevity is down to old-fashioned craftsmanship. “I believe the bulb has stayed alive so many years because the makers gave it a perfect seal, so no air gets inside the bulb to help disintegrate the carbon filament. This bulb operates in a vacuum and it doesn’t burn hot. That’s the secret.” [LA Times via Boing Boing]

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