Second runner up to the Centennial Bulb is “The Eternal Light”, located in Fort Worth, Texas. First turned on in 1908 at the Byers Opera House where it spent most of its life. The opera house became a movie theater in 1920 until it was torn down in 1977. The bulb still burns to this day at Stockyards Museum in a glass case.

In third place is “The Bulb” from Mangum, Oklahoma. Turned on sometime between 1926 and 1929 and housed in a fire station built in 1912. “Mangum feels no need to measure itself against others, and has been content to keep its bulb to itself. There are no webcams here, no glass display cases. The bulb doesn’t even have a name. Locals refer to it simply as “the bulb“.

Source: Roadside America

One. And it’s still burning.

This bulb has a pretty impressive history. It’s been illuminating a firehouse in Livermore, CA since 1901. The greenest bulb in the world was made by Shelby Electric Co. who went out of business in 1914. It has become quite a celebrity in its old age, attracting tourists since the 70’s… It even claims an online presence with a website draws about a million visitors a year and features a bulb-cam set up to film it continuously. Livermore firefighters used to swipe it for good luck before leaving on duty and now they don’t dust it for the same reasons. The secret to the bulb’s longevity lies in the fact that it has almost never been turned off in its 107 years and the air-tight seal never let any oxygen in, creating a cold-burning vacuum.

For a full story and facts, check out these links:

LA Times: At 107, Livermore centennial lightbulb is still a real live wire

Official site: Livermore’s Centennial Light

2007 Record: Guinness Book of World Records

Print: Ripley’s Believe it or Not

Wikipedia: Centennial Light