ADVERSARIES
Thomas Edison v. Nikola Tesla
When Nikola Tesla first came to the United States to work, he was hired by Thomas Edison as his personal assistant. He would often work from sunrise to sunrise for Edison, and he was noted by Edison for being his most hard-working assistant. Tesla was eager to work with electricity, and Edison promised to pay Tesla $50,000 to improve his direct current (DC) motors. Thomas Edison already had developed a DC system of supplying energy to the masses. Direct current was not easily converted from higher to lower voltages, but nonetheless during the early years of electricity, DC was the standard in the United States. Tesla did make improvements to the DC system, but when he went to Edison to collect his pay, Edison did not give it to him. He told Tesla the thought of paying him was a joke. Tesla was furious and as he stormed out of Edison's office, their rivalry officially began.
In November and December of 1887, Nikola Tesla filed for seven United States patents for his inventions involving the polyphase alternating current (AC) motor and power transmission. These patents also included his complete system of AC generators, transformers, transmission lines, motors, and lighting. These patents were granted without much trouble at all considering inventions of Tesla's caliber had never been seen before. A Pittsburgh industrialist named George Westinghouse heard of Tesla's inventions and believed that the AC system would prove superior to DC for the transmission of power over long distances. In 1888 for about $70,000, Westinghouse purchased Tesla's patents describing the "Tesla polyphase system" AC electric motor and power transmission systems . Westinghouse geared up to compete against Edison's DC electricity empire. Tesla worked with Westinghouse for about one year, and then in 1889 with his restored monetary freedom, Tesla quickly bought himself a new laboratory.
With the breakthrough provided by Tesla's patents, a full-scale industrial struggle now known as the War of Currents erupted between Tesla and Edison. Edison launched a propaganda campaign against AC electricity, claiming that it was far more dangerous than his own DC systems. To prove his point, he proceeded to electrocute to death a variety of animals such as dogs, cats, horses, and even elephants (including poor Topsy the circus elephant at Coney Island in 1903) in front of large crowds. To further scare the public away from AC electricity, Edison convinced the State of New York to enforce the death penalty on an ax-murderer named William Kemmler using an AC-powered electric chair. Unfortunately for Kemmler, the first application of 1700-volt alternating current did not kill him. When observers realized this, the electric chair (nicknamed "Old Sparky") was turned back on. That day, William Kemmler became the first person to die in the electric chair, and Thomas Edison sustained a setback in his campaign to portray AC electricity as more dangerous than DC. Despite the misadventure with "Old Sparky," Edison tried to have death by electric chair renamed as being "Westinghoused."
In spite of the bad press supplied by Edison and his proponents, good things were happening for the duo of Westinghouse and Tesla. The Westinghouse Corporation won the bid for illuminating the 1893 Chicago World's Fair against Edison and the General Electric Company (previously named the Edison Electric Company before a merger with the Thomson-Houston electric company). Each company had tried to underbid the other. Edison also had tried to invalidate Westinghouse's bid by refusing to allow Westinghouse use his incandescent bulbs to light the fair. Tesla and Westinghouse had to scramble to invent a new light bulb, build a new glass factory, and produce a quarter of a million bulbs all within the specified time frame. However, they succeeded brilliantly and the Chicago World's Fair opened on May 1, 1893. That fair night, President Grover Cleveland pushed a button and a hundred thousand lamps illuminated the fairgrounds. This "City of Light" was the work of Tesla, Westinghouse, and twelve new thousand-horsepower AC generation units. Twenty-seven million people attended the fair, and twenty-seven million people saw Tesla succeed in a way he never had imagined.
That same year, the Niagara Falls Power Company decided to award Westinghouse the contract to generate power from Niagara Falls. Tesla had dreamed of generating electricity from Niagara Falls ever since his childhood. He believed the Falls could power not only Buffalo, New York, but also the entire east coast of the United States. Tesla and Westinghouse succeeded yet again. On November 16, 1896, Buffalo was lit up by AC electricity generated from turbines on Niagara Falls.
In November and December of 1887, Nikola Tesla filed for seven United States patents for his inventions involving the polyphase alternating current (AC) motor and power transmission. These patents also included his complete system of AC generators, transformers, transmission lines, motors, and lighting. These patents were granted without much trouble at all considering inventions of Tesla's caliber had never been seen before. A Pittsburgh industrialist named George Westinghouse heard of Tesla's inventions and believed that the AC system would prove superior to DC for the transmission of power over long distances. In 1888 for about $70,000, Westinghouse purchased Tesla's patents describing the "Tesla polyphase system" AC electric motor and power transmission systems . Westinghouse geared up to compete against Edison's DC electricity empire. Tesla worked with Westinghouse for about one year, and then in 1889 with his restored monetary freedom, Tesla quickly bought himself a new laboratory.
With the breakthrough provided by Tesla's patents, a full-scale industrial struggle now known as the War of Currents erupted between Tesla and Edison. Edison launched a propaganda campaign against AC electricity, claiming that it was far more dangerous than his own DC systems. To prove his point, he proceeded to electrocute to death a variety of animals such as dogs, cats, horses, and even elephants (including poor Topsy the circus elephant at Coney Island in 1903) in front of large crowds. To further scare the public away from AC electricity, Edison convinced the State of New York to enforce the death penalty on an ax-murderer named William Kemmler using an AC-powered electric chair. Unfortunately for Kemmler, the first application of 1700-volt alternating current did not kill him. When observers realized this, the electric chair (nicknamed "Old Sparky") was turned back on. That day, William Kemmler became the first person to die in the electric chair, and Thomas Edison sustained a setback in his campaign to portray AC electricity as more dangerous than DC. Despite the misadventure with "Old Sparky," Edison tried to have death by electric chair renamed as being "Westinghoused."
In spite of the bad press supplied by Edison and his proponents, good things were happening for the duo of Westinghouse and Tesla. The Westinghouse Corporation won the bid for illuminating the 1893 Chicago World's Fair against Edison and the General Electric Company (previously named the Edison Electric Company before a merger with the Thomson-Houston electric company). Each company had tried to underbid the other. Edison also had tried to invalidate Westinghouse's bid by refusing to allow Westinghouse use his incandescent bulbs to light the fair. Tesla and Westinghouse had to scramble to invent a new light bulb, build a new glass factory, and produce a quarter of a million bulbs all within the specified time frame. However, they succeeded brilliantly and the Chicago World's Fair opened on May 1, 1893. That fair night, President Grover Cleveland pushed a button and a hundred thousand lamps illuminated the fairgrounds. This "City of Light" was the work of Tesla, Westinghouse, and twelve new thousand-horsepower AC generation units. Twenty-seven million people attended the fair, and twenty-seven million people saw Tesla succeed in a way he never had imagined.
That same year, the Niagara Falls Power Company decided to award Westinghouse the contract to generate power from Niagara Falls. Tesla had dreamed of generating electricity from Niagara Falls ever since his childhood. He believed the Falls could power not only Buffalo, New York, but also the entire east coast of the United States. Tesla and Westinghouse succeeded yet again. On November 16, 1896, Buffalo was lit up by AC electricity generated from turbines on Niagara Falls.
The Chicago World's Fair in 1893, the "White City" being lit for the first time by Tesla's alternating current generators.
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The original General Electric Company's logo.
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GUGLIELMO MARCONI V. NIKOLA TESLA
With his newly created Tesla coils, Tesla discovered that he could transmit and receive powerful radio signals when they were tuned to resonate at the same frequency. By early 1895, Tesla was ready to transmit a radio signal a vast fifty miles, which was unheard of for the time. Unfortunately, in that same year, disaster struck in the form of a building fire that consumed his lab, and consequently destroyed his work.
Meanwhile in England, a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi had been working on building a device intended for the transmission of wireless telegraphs. He had taken out the first wireless telegraphy patent in England in 1896; his device consisted of a two-circuit system. Shortly after this, Tesla filed his own basic radio patent applications in 1897, and they were granted in 1900. Marconi's first patent application in America, filed in the November of 1900, was turned down. Marconi's revised applications over the next three years were repeatedly rejected because of the similarity to Tesla's patents.
However, in 1900, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company began thriving in the stock markets of England, due primarily no doubt to Marconi's family connections with English royalty. Seemingly overnight, the young Italian nobleman became internationally acclaimed. Thomas Edison eventually invested in Marconi's company and also later became a consulting engineer of American Marconi. On December 12, 1901, Marconi transmitted and received radio signals from across the pond (the Atlantic Ocean) for the first time.
In 1904, the United States Patent Office suddenly gave Marconi the credit for the invention of the radio. No one is quite sure why this decision was made, but the powerful financial backing for Marconi demonstrated by Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison probably contributed. Marconi ended up winning the Nobel Prize in 1911 for "his" invention, and Tesla was understandably furious. He sued the Marconi Company in 1915, but financially he was not prepared to make a legitimate case against a major corporation. It was not until after Tesla's death in 1943 that the United States Supreme Court upheld Tesla's radio patent. When they did, they did so out of selfish reasons; the Marconi Company was ironically suing the U.S. Government for the unauthorized use of its patents during World War I. The Court avoided this suit by restoring the originality of Tesla's patents over Marconi's.
Meanwhile in England, a young Italian named Guglielmo Marconi had been working on building a device intended for the transmission of wireless telegraphs. He had taken out the first wireless telegraphy patent in England in 1896; his device consisted of a two-circuit system. Shortly after this, Tesla filed his own basic radio patent applications in 1897, and they were granted in 1900. Marconi's first patent application in America, filed in the November of 1900, was turned down. Marconi's revised applications over the next three years were repeatedly rejected because of the similarity to Tesla's patents.
However, in 1900, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company began thriving in the stock markets of England, due primarily no doubt to Marconi's family connections with English royalty. Seemingly overnight, the young Italian nobleman became internationally acclaimed. Thomas Edison eventually invested in Marconi's company and also later became a consulting engineer of American Marconi. On December 12, 1901, Marconi transmitted and received radio signals from across the pond (the Atlantic Ocean) for the first time.
In 1904, the United States Patent Office suddenly gave Marconi the credit for the invention of the radio. No one is quite sure why this decision was made, but the powerful financial backing for Marconi demonstrated by Andrew Carnegie and Thomas Edison probably contributed. Marconi ended up winning the Nobel Prize in 1911 for "his" invention, and Tesla was understandably furious. He sued the Marconi Company in 1915, but financially he was not prepared to make a legitimate case against a major corporation. It was not until after Tesla's death in 1943 that the United States Supreme Court upheld Tesla's radio patent. When they did, they did so out of selfish reasons; the Marconi Company was ironically suing the U.S. Government for the unauthorized use of its patents during World War I. The Court avoided this suit by restoring the originality of Tesla's patents over Marconi's.
Marconi with his apparatus.
"Marconi is a good fellow. Let him continue. He is using seventeen of my patents." - Nikola Tesla