More than once, we've told you how LED bulbs have a lifespan that old halogen lamps never even dreamed of. In terms of duration, we're talking about a ratio of roughly ten to one. Of course, we're talking about hours, not years.

That's why it might surprise you, and not a little, to discover that in a Californian fire station, in the town of Livermore, in 1901, a light bulb was turned on that has never stopped working. Yes, it's an incandescent bulb with a carbon filament that, despite not being created by Harry Potter and his wizard friends, has managed to earn the name "centennial lamp."

Produced in 1980 by the Shelby Electric Company for General Electric, which absorbed the manufacturing company, it holds its secret to longevity in a properly mounted bulb that ensures a complete vacuum, low voltage, absence of intense heat, a thick carbon filament, and no "on and off" switching.

The story goes that in the 1970s, the bulb was turned off for exactly 22 minutes to allow the fire station to be relocated, but this did not make it lose its Guinness World Record. So much so that, for safety, the bulb was not unscrewed, but the power cable was cut.

Don't believe it? Click HERE, a webcam monitors every flicker of its light.