THE AC/DC WAR
Two of the greatest inventors of the 20th century were mortal enemies. Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were lifelong adversaries and fought a public battle over electricity.
When Tesla arrived in America in 1884, he went to work for Thomas Edison. His job was to redesign the Edison company’s direct current generators. Tesla believed that he would be paid $50,000 for the job. Edison said that he had been joking. Tesla never forgave Edison.
Tesla struck out on his own looking for investors, and in 1888 he struck a deal with George Westinghouse. Westinghouse purchased Tesla’s patents for alternating electric current and went to work building electric plants and generators that would provide AC electricity throughout the United States.
AC electricity was in direct competition with Edison’s DC, or direct current, method. In 1887, there were 1,212 Edison power stations in the United States providing electricity to business and homes. Edison had a virtual lock on the electricity business, and he liked it that way. But there was a problem with DC power. It was limited in how far it could travel on wires before it began to lose power. This meant there had to be an electric plant built every mile to boost the energy. High-voltage alternating current could travel hundreds of miles without losing power. One station could be built to serve thousands of people. Businessmen quickly understood that the AC system would be much cheaper to construct.
Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were lifelong adversaries and fought a public battle over electricity.
Edison was determined to keep his DC electric business. He started a propaganda campaign against Tesla and Westinghouse, telling everyone that the stronger AC current was dangerous. AC current would kill people and burn down houses. He set up public shows where he put dogs, cows, horses, and even an elephant on stage. The animals were forced to step on a metal plate that was charged with AC. The animals were shocked by the AC current and died on stage, and the announcer told the audience that this would be the fate of anyone who touched alternating current.
Westinghouse and Tesla were furious. They knew that their alternating current could be safely used in homes and businesses, but electricity was a new invention. The general public had no idea how it worked. They were willing to believe Edison’s demonstrations.
CENTENNIAL LIGHT BULB
In the United States, the average incandescent light bulb (that is, a bulb heated with a wire filament) has a lifespan of about 1,000 to 2,000 hours.
But dangling from the ceiling of a Livermore, California firehouse is a bulb that's burned for more than 989,000 hours—115 years. Since its first installation in 1901, it has rarely been turned off and has been proclaimed the "Eternal Light" by General Electric experts and physicists around the world. Began at 60 watts, it currently shines at 4 watts.
Tracing the origins of the bulb—known as the Centennial Light—raises questions as to whether it is a miracle of physics, or a sign that new bulbs are weaker. Its longevity still remains a mystery.
Then, Edison sponsored the construction of an electric chair that used AC current to execute a convicted murderer. He bargained that if he could get AC current associated with executions, then people would want nothing to do with the AC current.
But the truth won out, because AC current actually was the best solution for transmitting electric current over wires for long distances. In 1893, Westinghouse and Tesla won the contract to light the Chicago World’s Fair. When the public saw the beautifully and safely lit buildings, they realized that Edison was wrong. Even Edison’s own company eventually converted to using AC power, and it is the standard for electricity in the United States today.
THE WORLD'S HEAVIEST PIANO
Edison was a brilliant inventor, but sometimes he had some insane ideas. One was his idea for a concrete piano. Edison became infatuated with concrete and thought that it was the perfect building material. He filed patents for a concrete house, concrete furniture, and a concrete piano. Although he was right in thinking that the concrete would be very durable, he didn't consider how heavy concrete would be. The concrete pianos that were built were impossible to move, and they sounded weird. Concrete is good at muffling sound, and the pianos did not project music like a normal wood piano. But the concrete piano would not burn up in a fire!
THE WORLD'S HEAVIEST PIANO
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There were 11 concrete houses built, but they were so ugly that no one wanted to buy them. Concrete homes were a total flop. The one idea that did have merit was concrete furniture, but it took nearly 100 years to catch on. Furniture designers are now using concrete to pour freeform chairs and benches. Nobody is building concrete pianos.