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The wiki also lists it being shut off without specifying the reasons. "The fire department says that the bulb is at least 113 years old and has been turned off

The wiki also lists it being shut off without specifying the reasons. "The fire department says that the bulb is at least 113 years old and has been turned off only a handful of times." I really doubt there's anywhere in the US where power has run uninterrupted for 100+ years. Even the use of backup generators is fairly modern and those fail or run out of fuel as well. Neat little thing, but I think back then they hand-wound the filament using much stronger and thicker (and with more resistance) wire than what we use today. Or used, considering that style of lightbulb is more or less dead. Dunno, I'm not impressed by this the same way I am by the pitch experiment or the ever-ringing bell.

katbyte 12y ago
I've often heard that light bulbs are not manufactured to as high standards as they could be. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/light-bulb-conspiracy/ http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/light-bulb-conspiracy/ But i have no idea how much truth there is to it.
- Spooky23 12y ago
  I don't think it's a conspiracy, it's just cutting costs of a commodity to meet expected lifespans. If you buy 130 volt-rated bulbs (120V is typical), they are built to a better standard and can survive exposure to poor quality electric service. It's one of those things not taken into account by the cargo-cult conversion to CFL and LED -- the electronics in these bulbs are built for good conditions. Try running the newer bulbs for extended periods off of portable generators.
Spooky23 12y ago
Depends on where. Some smaller cities have municipal electricity that pretty much always works (Holyoke, MA is the one that comes to mind). Even in regional blackouts, there are a few Upstate NY towns that never go out... they can isolate themselves from the grid when necessary, and draw from the grid when they have issues. I grew up in the boroughs of NYC, and don't recall ever having a power outage in those years. I think it flickered during a hurricane in the 80's, but never actually went out. Where I live now (Upstate NY), forget it... even after eviscerating the street trees, any significant gust of wind has a probability of taking out power. The state no longer effectively regulates the utilities -- the transformer on my street blew up this past winter, and per the lineman had markings indicating that it was made in the mid 1960s.

katbyte 12y ago

I've often heard that light bulbs are not manufactured to as high standards as they could be. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/light-bulb-conspiracy/ http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/light-bulb-conspiracy/ But i have no idea how much truth there is to it.

Spooky23 12y ago
I don't think it's a conspiracy, it's just cutting costs of a commodity to meet expected lifespans. If you buy 130 volt-rated bulbs (120V is typical), they are built to a better standard and can survive exposure to poor quality electric service. It's one of those things not taken into account by the cargo-cult conversion to CFL and LED -- the electronics in these bulbs are built for good conditions. Try running the newer bulbs for extended periods off of portable generators.

Spooky23 12y ago

Depends on where. Some smaller cities have municipal electricity that pretty much always works (Holyoke, MA is the one that comes to mind). Even in regional blackouts, there are a few Upstate NY towns that never go out... they can isolate themselves from the grid when necessary, and draw from the grid when they have issues. I grew up in the boroughs of NYC, and don't recall ever having a power outage in those years. I think it flickered during a hurricane in the 80's, but never actually went out. Where I live now (Upstate NY), forget it... even after eviscerating the street trees, any significant gust of wind has a probability of taking out power. The state no longer effectively regulates the utilities -- the transformer on my street blew up this past winter, and per the lineman had markings indicating that it was made in the mid 1960s.