For sale is an original 1970s EVEREADY CAPTAIN FLASHLIGHT made by Union Carbide. This chrome-plated flashlight has a ribbed design with a red sliding switch with a “flash” button and a ring hanger on the bottom for storage. This tall flashlight stands about 7 1/2 inches tall and has a 2 3/8 inch diameter lamp. The battery powered flashlight is untested. The battery cap is marked with a great Eveready logo. This type of flashlight is sought by collectors for because of the flashlight’s distinctive “Space Age” look.
In 1888, German scientist, Dr. Carl Gassner created the first dry cell and the first portable battery by encasing the wet cell chemicals in a sealed zinc container. In 1906, the National Carbon Company bought a half interest in the Eveready company. Eveready became “The American Ever Ready Company” and the trade name was shortened to one word, the familiar “Eveready”. This was also the year of the introduction of the tungsten wire filament to replace carbon filaments in light bulbs which made bulbs more efficient and brighter. Batteries had also improved and new switches began to appear on flashlights that allowed them to stay on for a few minutes.
