Our lightbulbs are all duds – Enter the Centennial Lightbulb

Have you ever used lightbulbs before? They blow after a couple of months, usually. But did you know that our lightbulbs are not supposed to blow IF we were using Adolfe Chailet’s design?

His lightbulb has been burning almost continuously for 109 years and has never blown. It currently stil hangs from the ceiling in Fire Station 6, Livermore, northern California. Nicknamed the Centennial Light, this traditional 4 watt, traditional filament lightbulb was Adolphe Chailet’s entry in a contest that Thomas Edison’s lightbulb, during the search for a lightbulb.

Edison was a ruthless businessman who out-muscled Chailet’s design and somehow managed to get his lightbulb approved instead of the others. And the world has been using “defective” lightbulbs ever since, without realizing that lightbulbs can in fact be – very long lasting; it is all down to the design.

Not surprisingly, Chailet’s lightbulb is recognized as the World’s Most Durable Lightbulb, by the Guinness Book of Records; but it matters little, since Edison made all the money and got his lightbulb used by millions of people.

I know the lightbulbs I used; they always had to be replaced every few months. Even fluorescent lights do not last for very long either….

The Centennial Light Bulb

Source: Centennial Bulb