The first time I remember seeing and recognizing a mercury vapor lamp was when I was in the sixth grade (in 1984), and the middle school that I attended had mercury vapor high-bay lighting in the gym.  I loved how the light was bright and white (they were color-corrected mercs, most likely 175 watt.)  The lights collectively gave off a pretty considerable amount of hum which was audible even from just walking past the gym when the doors were open.  I first realized that they were HID (meaning I realized that they operated off a ballast & they required a warm-up period) when, during gym class, we had a power outage and the lights shut off and didn't come back on right away.  Then, one by one, each fixture restruck and glowed a deep red for a couple of minutes before reaching full brightness again.  I thought this was one of the coolest things that I had ever seen!  And it has been love ever since! 


@ lite_lover:  I used to go outside at dusk to watch the HPS street lights fire up, too!

where'd you go to school. that sounds like my old gym!

where'd you go to school. that sounds like my old gym!

For me, my first Elementry school had recessed mercs in the gym (they weren't highbays, but mercs in recessed fixtures with diffused glass but you could still see lamps in them.....the school was built in 1964 but the gym was actually a newer addition most likely from somewhere in the 70s......

Gym at my middle school built in 1965 actually had incandescent!!!! Big lamps with inside frosted lamps! I remember a few times usually a volley ball would hit into the lamps and break em, even if they had a cage covered but had big opening in the middle!!!

When, well I don't remember exactly but I know it was years ago. It was the fixture in front of my house. I didn't know what kind of light it was but I was always fascinated by how they started off pink and slowly got brighter and brighter. At first I thought they got brighter as it got darker not realizing they had to warm up before reaching full brightness.

fascinating stories guys!

she also said it had been burning for 30 years, and she had never had to change the bulb.

So that's 250,000 hours. As far as I know, no other light source can reach such extreme lifetimes... Of course the key is to leave it burning.

Anyway, I don't know when i first saw it, there was a very old buzzy light with the mercury bulb in front of our house since I was born so I could have seen it a couple of days after my birth
However until recently, I didn't know the type of bulb, I just recongised the "blue ones" and the "orange ones" and all I knew was that the blue ones were getting more and more rare.

one time i was talking to my dad and about lighting in the car back in 1999 or so (i was 6 ) and asked him about what lights streetlights used. he said hps and mercury vapor. so i looked at most streetlights after that.   i always thought thats all there was until 2005. he also said hps was more efficient and he favored it . i always liked hps until like a year ago

Lantern: I remember (what i today know are) Elektrosvit Ambasador's with most likely RVL250W or RVLX250W, it was around 1981 (i was 5), when my parent moved to new home in Budweis. Few years later (~1986..7) the utility company got Sodium Disease and replaced them with SHP150 (at this time i got my first MV lamp, together with the ballast choke from their scrap-yard)...

Probably about 30 years ago. I would have been around 8, and able  for the first time to sneak out and roam around my block after dark (I had strict parents). All the streetlights in my neighborhood were MV when I was young, and remained so through my teenage years.

I don't recall the details of this first encounter, but most likely I went home and asked my dad what type of light that was, and he told me. I think I remember him directing me to our ancient Encyclopedia Brittanica for more information. If I recall correctly, the pic in the encyclopedia showed a two-ended MV lamp. Once I found out that these lamps also used a ballast I was fascinated!