When longer life meant dimmer light: the century‑old bulb tale
A 120-year-old bulb in Livermore, CA, still glows at about four watts, serving as a proof of concept for an early 20th‑century push to limit bulb life to around 1,000 hours. The article explains that glowing brightness depends on filament temperature—hotter filaments produce more light but wear out faster—so longer-lasting bulbs are inherently dimmer. The Phoebus cartel is cited as historically colluding to shorten lifespans to boost sales, and while incandescent bulbs now last longer (roughly 500–2,500 hours), the trade‑off between brightness and longevity remains rooted in physics and market history.
