96: The War of the Currents: (Thomas Alva Edison v. Nikola Tesla & George Westinghouse)

History That Doesn't Suck - A podcast by Prof. Greg Jackson - Mondays

“Tesla, you don’t understand our American humor.” This is the story of opinionated inventors with very different views on electric lighting; a story of invention, genius, conniving, and even electrocutions. This is the War of the Currents. Thomas Alva Edison believes in direct current. He’s convinced it’s safer. Freshly arrived from Europe, Nikola Tesla thinks alternating current has the potential to unleash indoor domestic lighting on a whole new level and can be made just as safe. The men differ, and when Nikola teams up with George Westinghouse, Alva finds his position as king of the electric hill threatened. But as Nikola and George will soon see: the Wizard of Menlo Park won’t take this threat lying down ... ___ 4 Ways to dive deeper into History That Doesn’t Suck Join our growing facebook community Get our weekly newsletter, The Revolution Become part of the HTDS Patreon family Subscribe to Greg’s monthly newsletter, Connected History Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices