Livermore, California

Livermore is a city located in Alameda County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 73,345. Traditionally, Livermore is considered the easternmost city in the San Francisco Bay Area before entrance to the Central Valley.

World's Long Lasting Lightbulb

The town is noted for one amazing record, a 104+ year old 4-watt lightbulb housed by the Livermore Fire Department is still burning bright. In truth, its "brightness" may be a matter of debate-- it glows dimly-- but it definitely still functions as a lightbulb. The Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe It Or Not and General Electric have concluded that the bulb has been burning continuously since 1901 (with the exception of power failures and three times for moving to another station). The lightbulb was manufactured by the Shelby Electric Company, and was hand blown with a carbon filament.

Related Topics:
Guinness Book of World Records - Ripley's Believe It Or Not - General Electric - Shelby Electric Company

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According to Mrs. Zylpha Bernal Beck (born in 1884), the bulb was donated to the Fire Department by her father, Dennis Bernal in 1901. It was hung as a night light in a downtown garage that served as both a police and fire department five years before the great San Francisco earthquake and fire in 1906. A few years later, the bulb found its way to the "new" pre-Depression City Hall that also housed the two departments and twenty-odd years ago was moved for a final time to Station One in Livermore. Mr. Bernal owned the Livermore Power and Water Company and donated the bulb when he sold the company. This story has been supported by several firefighter volunteers of that era.

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There is a widespread interest in the lightbulb, visitors have come to see it from every state in the Union, and from many foreign countries. The "centennial bulb" has its own webcam keeping a watchfull eye on the everpresent dim glow: http://www.centennialbulb.org/cam.htm

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Successive fire chiefs have regarded it as their talisman and a good luck charm. "Nobody wants that darn bulb to go out on their watch," said fire chief Gary Stewart. "If that thing goes out while I'm still chief it will be a career's worth of bad luck."

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Rumour has it, previous chiefs have had standing orders that if any firefighter even accidentally broke the light, that person would suddenly get sacked from the job.

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