A bulb in Britain glowing for 100 years

July 14, 2012 03:28 pm | Updated 03:28 pm IST - London

Defying the 1,000-hour life expectancy of a light-bulb, the one shining in a Briton’s porch is believed to have been glowing for last 100 years.

The 230-volt, 55-watt DC Osram bulb was reportedly made in July 1912, just months after the Titanic sank.

“At this rate, it’ll burn for ever!” said 74-year-old Owner Roger Dyball about the bulb which still lights his porch in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

The bulb had already been in place at Dyball’s home near Lowestoft, in Suffolk, when he and his wife Patricia moved in 45 years ago, The Sun reported.

“We found it with its original fittings when we moved here in 1967 and it has never gone out,” said Dyball.

Dyball was so intrigued by the bulb manufactured in Wembley, North London that he wrote a letter to company Osram-GEC’s London head office with its serial number and other details.

Osram worked out its date of manufacture and gave him a special certificate.

In a reply, dating back to January 30, 1968, the company said the bulb was manufactured sometime in July 1912.

Britain’s oldest working bulb was found at Margate, Kent, in 2008. Experts estimated it was made in 1895 -- 15 years after US genius Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

Modern bulbs last an average 1,000 hours before conking out.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.