Edison vs. Tesla | The Business of Discovery | 4

Edison vs. Tesla | The Business of Discovery | 4

From American History Tellers by Audible

May 27, 2026 · 38 min · Season 96 · Episode 4

About this episode

The episode explores Thomas Edison's achievements and the complexities of his innovations with insights from Dr. Paul Israel.

Thomas Edison is one of the most celebrated inventors in American history, having helped transform a world lit by candles and gas lamps into one powered by electricity. Over his lifetime he was granted more than a thousand patents, and pioneered the very idea of organized innovation at his ground-breaking research and development laboratories. But the story of how he did it is complicated. So, to help us understand Edison’s remarkable achievements, Lindsay is joined by Dr. Paul Israel, Director and General Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University. He’s the author of Edison: A Life of Invention.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Host: Lindsay

Guest: Dr. Paul Israel

Topics covered

  • invention
  • electricity
  • innovation
  • history
  • biography

Keywords

  • Thomas Edison
  • invention
  • electricity
  • innovation
  • Dr. Paul Israel
  • patents
  • history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Thomas A. Edison Papers, Rutgers University

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