Edison vs. Tesla | Triumph of Illumination | 3

About this episode

The episode explores the rivalry between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla over the future of electricity, highlighting the role of George Westinghouse and the Chicago World’s Fair.

By 1888, the race to power America's cities had become a battle between the rival visions of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. But when the powerful industrialist George Westinghouse threw his weight behind Tesla and his AC system, what had been a personal falling out became something far larger – a war over the future of electricity itself. Their bitter fight spilled into courtrooms, ignited a national debate about capital punishment, and culminated in a fierce competition for the contract to illuminate the most ambitious event of the decade: the Chicago World’s Fair. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

Topics covered

• electricity
• innovation
• industrial rivalry
• court battles
• Chicago World’s Fair

Keywords

• Edison
• Tesla
• Westinghouse
• electricity
• Chicago World’s Fair
• AC system
• court battles

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