Comments on: Edison’s pachydermal AC/DC stunt

By: Jack Visage

Jack Visage — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 23:48:55 +0000

Thomas Edison was one of the most famous and revered Americans of all time, and deservedly so. While Nikola Tesla, on the other hand, is virtually unknown today. Tesla introduced his theories on AC to George Westinghouse, another foe of Edison. Westinghouse and Tesla believed AC to be superior to DC because of the arc and greater footprint of power the system could deliver. The test and subsequent grid performance confirmed that AC was the superior technology. Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are both great and genius.

By: Sid Morrison

Sid Morrison — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 15:19:32 +0000

@Witty-
You are on the right track, but a little mixed up. Edison was the main proponent of DC power. His commerical rival George Westinghouse was the main proponent of AC power transmission (the technology for most of it developed by Nikola Tesla who worked for Westinghouse and hated Edison). Edison wanted his DC power scheme to to ultimately win “The Battle of the Currents”, so he took aims to paint AC power as dangerous. Thus, public displays of electrocuting animals and condemned criminals, Edison wanted to be AC, not DC. It was pretty sneaky and effective, but ultimately the benefit of AC technology was too great and Westinghouse/Tesla’s technology one.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:22:10 +0000

I think this was on a QI episode not long ago

By: Witty Nickname

Witty Nickname — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:05:43 +0000

Didn’t I also read somewhere that Edison made it so that Leon Czolgosz (McKinley’s assassin) would be electrocuted with direct current? I think I read that in one of my Presidential History books, but a quick check of Wikipedia did not back it up.

By: historyforest

historyforest — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 12:47:55 +0000

I read that…! Interesting the things brilliant minds will do sometimes! Don’t people say that sometime smart people lack some common sense?