Some things last a long time. This light bulb still kicks out the rays despite being over a 105 years old. The bulb is located in the former Burlington, Iowa library which is now the Des Moines County Historical Society building. Electrical lighting was relatively new in 1898 when this building opened. A sign says this bulb was one of four found that were still in their sockets in the Grand Gallery balcony. Upon investigation these bulbs were determined to be made before 1910 because of their Thomson-Houston type bases and the tip of the glass drawn envelope. The glowing filament is also a flat tungsten ribbon instead of a coiled wire. According to bulbs.com the average life for incandescent bulbs is 750-2,000 hours. The Burlington based bulb has been burning on and off for 919,800 hours-so far. Shine on.
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