This is the Centennial Bulb. It’s been lit for 124 years, longer than any human has been alive. The story starts around the turn of the 20th century, when the Shelby Electric Company designed a bulb it claimed would last 30 percent longer than its competitors’. (At the time, experts say, the average lifespan was about 50 days.) In 1901, one of those bulbs was installed at the volunteer fire department in Livermore, California. It continued to burn decade after decade, except for brief periods when the firehouse was relocated or underwent renovations, or lost power during outages. Experts believe the bulb’s long life may be due at least in part to its filament, the hair-width carbon wire in the center that glows when electricity passes through it. (Most bulbs now are LED ones that use electrified microchips to create light.) These days, Livermore’s mayor and others are trying to preserve the Centennial Bulb, and Guinness World Records has certified it as the world’s longest-burning light bulb. For many, it’s a source of reassurance: “Generations will come and go, and civilizations are going to change,” Tom Bramell, who served in the Livermore Fire Department for 30 years, told The Washington Post. “This light bulb is a testament to that fact. It’s survived this long, and life goes on.”