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| Info about this bulb |
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Rating: unknown (120v 25w?) Came from: U.S.A. Manufactured: During WWII, after Pearl Harbor air raid Purchased: September 2002 Price paid: $8 plus sh. Bulb rarity: A bit rare Best feature: Unique WWII relic |
| Wabash Blackout Bulbs & Units |
These are Wabash Blackout Bulbs, used during WWII. They were put into production by the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Their purpose was to create a minimal light source to be used in times known as "blackouts", in which the U.S. government suspected danger of an air raid at night. When this happened, all normal bulbs were turned off and replaced with these blackout bulbs. The whole idea behind this was to make it much harder for enemy bombers to locate cities. I heard a story about these bulbs from an eBay seller, he said that if patrolling troops saw light coming from your home during a "blackout", they could shoot out the source. I haven't verified this, but it seems very credible. I know that these bulbs were used in Hawaii, but I don't know if they were used in other U.S. states. These bulbs were made by Wabash corp. from Brooklyn, N.Y. however there is also a version by General Electric, which looks different. And I have recently spotted a version by Westinghouse. Wabash chose radio tube envelopes for their bulbs, while G.E. chose the regular appliance bulb shape (A-17 shape). Yellow and Blue Blackout bulbs were also made by Wabash, although blue ones are near-impossible to find. These bulbs are coated on the inside with a mirror-like silver coating so that the light is concentrated on the color area. Blackout bulbs were not the only "blackout" accessory produced; Plastic covers for car and bicycle headlights were also made, along with many other things. An interesting note is that Yellow Blackout bulbs made by Wabash are always labeled "Blackout Unit" while the Blue and Red ones are labeled "Blackout Bulb". Wabash Blackout bulbs were used in the United States and possessions, but there are other blackout bulbs made by other countries, for use in the same country in which they were made in.
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