100-Year-Old Lightbulb Unearthed From Time Capsule Still Works

Why wouldn't it work? I don't see the big deal. All electronic and electric devices should be engineered to last forever. When transistors started replacing vacuum tubes, that was a selling point at the time. Solid state devices should last forever where tubes burned out. Assuming air has not leaked into the bulb, a slightly used bulb should be good for centuries.

david_forbus,
You funny; you ask a question, they you answer the question. Electronics, insulation to electronics, capacitors, chokes, other electronics, and plastics do decompose over time and yes devices that depend upon vacuums do lose their vacuums too. Good electronic spare part boards do go bad sitting on the shelf. I run into this many a time. The point of the vacuum is to prevent oxidation of the filament as it heats up or just rust away considering it is a 100 year old bulb.

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See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!

Oh, I should another wear that happens upon electronics that is not as obvious is static electricity. If a person walks across a carpet and then touches another individual and causes that spark, it can be up as high as a million volts. No current is behind it, but the voltage can be extreme. It is static electricity that destroys semiconductors. I have seen many technicians get lax in the handling of electronic boards. They plug in the device and so it works, but they do not take in account the harmed and degrade the life of that component or board.

If you ever seen those color pink or gray plastic bags that electronic components come they actual static bags. They are conductive in nature in the sense the polarity of a static charge is equal throughout the bag and so no conductivity will occur in the stored bag device.

So for 100 years to pass by for this simple light bulb and still work, yes, I am impressed!!!

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See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!

Many electronics today are made for engineered obsolescence. I have electronics that I use today that is 35+ years old. I'm well aware of how electronics and light bulbs can go bad. But, those problems can be engineered to be avoided. The video didn't show anything. The bare wires, in air, would have glowed just the same. My point is, we should expect the manufacturers of our electronics to make products that are meant to last. We should not have an attitude that electronics are expected to fail.

david_forbus,
Your point is completely correct. We do have a perception in USA of planned obsolescence incorporated with the mental manufacturing of some of our engineers and other designers and at many times from the consumer point of view is over looked. I have worked on many electronics too that have fuses inside them that are timed to pop after so many hundreds of hours for the purpose of forcing it to be repaired and calibrated. It seems like a common sense knowledge that our autos in the USA are planned to only last 10 years and then it is a right off and houses are planned for 30 years.

Here is a interesting thing none of know about the above light bulb. As much as they turned it on and took a picture and wrote an article, we do not know if it burned out immediately later or some hours later. Yet all the excitement the light lights.

..........................................
See life in all its beautiful colors, and
from different perspectives too!

The human being is planned obsolescence...all else follows.

100 years in a time capsule in nothing compared to a light bulb in Livermore Ca. that has been burning continuously for 110 years! www.centennialbulb.org/

stevenn,
You are a smarty, I like your comment!

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Science sees no further than what it can sense, i.e. facts.
Religion sees beyond the senses, i.e. faith.
Open your mind and see!