Old newspapers throw up the darndest things. Original post here.
Original text:
From the Mid-Week Pictorial: Marian Holmes knelt inside the glass of a 100,000-watt incandescent bulb to be exhibited by the Westinghouse Company at the World Fair in Chicago. She held a 60-watt bulb for comparison. The caption noted that the bulb “must be strong enough to withstand a crushing strain of 40,000 pounds.” Aug. 4, 1934. Photo: The New York Times
A very literal tube girl!
I wonder what they needed a 100,000 watt bulb for? A lighthouse, or signaling Mars?
I don’t know myself. These guys at an electronics forum found an actual specimen in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago (and they included a picture), where it appears to have been frustratingly lacking in documentation. The lead poster speculated that it might have been used as experimental stadium lighting or in some cinematic function.