Kevin David Creative

The year is 1901. The American Flag has 45 stars. Walt Disney, a newborn delivered under a tree-lined neighborhood in Chicago, won’t go on to create Mickey Mouse for another 25 years. And a switch was flipped that allowed a light to shine with a longevity second only to the stars.

The average incandescent light bulb has a lifespan of about 1,000 to 2,000 hours while LED bulbs boast between 25,000 and 50,000 hours of shining service. The Centennial Light, a hand-blown bulb made by the Shelby Electric Company, is the world’s longest-lasting light bulb, burning since 1901, and almost never turned off. Since its unceremonious installation, its warming glow has traveled 1,163,669,848,127,438,400 miles, enough to circle the earth (scientifically speaking) a bajillion times over.

While it remains a workhorse wonder, you can’t blame the famous filament for slowing down a bit in its old age. Originally designed to shine at a modest 30 watts, it now has just enough spark to serve as a nightlight for generations of firefighters. Whether its reverence or superstition, “Nobody wants that darn bulb to go out on their watch,” said former fire chief Stewart Gary. “If that thing goes out while I’m still chief it will be a career’s worth of bad luck.”

The bulb’s date of origin has been authenticated by local records and is recognized by both the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Engineers say the bulb has survived due to a combination of the filament thickness and the low wattage. In an interview with Via Magazine, local historian Barry Schrader explained that, “It may be a freak, but it is also a marvel.”

Be a freak. Be a marvel. When your energy is nearly exhausted and burnout begins to bite, remember that your light is bright enough to keep us moving through the darkness.

For more information on this brilliant bulb, visit www.centennialbulb.org.