The War of the Currents
http://www.biography.com/people/thomas-edison-9284349
The "war on alternating current" actually has an interesting story behind it. It all started in the 19th century with an electrical engineer from Serbia named Nikola Tesla who worked for Thomas Edison at the time. While Thomas Edison was a champion at developing products that relied on direct current, Nikola Tesla sought to improve Edison's inventions by developing an AC motor. After becoming unsuccessful at convincing his boss that alternating current had a future in practical applications, Tesla quit his job and later had his AC generator patented and sold to George Westinghouse, the owner of an electric company which went on to become Thomas Edison's competitor.
Thomas Edison, who felt threatened by his competitor's using alternating current, went on to promote propaganda against the technology. During his campaign to convince the general public that alternating current wasn't the way to go, he publicly electrocuted animals and even recommended to the state of New York to use alternating current as an alternative to hanging its prisoners as capital punishment as an attempt to paint AC as "deadly." In 1890, a convicted murderer became the first to be put to death with an electric chair powered by an AC generator, which was secretly designed by an employee of Thomas Edison's.
In 1893, Thomas Edison's efforts to paint AC in a bad light failed when George Westinghouse secured a contract to supply electricity to the World Fair in Chicago, Illinois. This fair became a good exposition to demonstrate Tesla's AC generator to the public which later lead to a contract for Westinghouse to supply AC generators to a power plant at Niagra Falls. Soon after, this power plant began delivering electricity to Buffalo, New York. Today, AC now dominates DC in the electric power industry.
Thomas Edison, who felt threatened by his competitor's using alternating current, went on to promote propaganda against the technology. During his campaign to convince the general public that alternating current wasn't the way to go, he publicly electrocuted animals and even recommended to the state of New York to use alternating current as an alternative to hanging its prisoners as capital punishment as an attempt to paint AC as "deadly." In 1890, a convicted murderer became the first to be put to death with an electric chair powered by an AC generator, which was secretly designed by an employee of Thomas Edison's.
In 1893, Thomas Edison's efforts to paint AC in a bad light failed when George Westinghouse secured a contract to supply electricity to the World Fair in Chicago, Illinois. This fair became a good exposition to demonstrate Tesla's AC generator to the public which later lead to a contract for Westinghouse to supply AC generators to a power plant at Niagra Falls. Soon after, this power plant began delivering electricity to Buffalo, New York. Today, AC now dominates DC in the electric power industry.
http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/in-1897-nikola-tesla-tore-up-a-contract-that-would-have-made-him-the-worlds-first-billionaire/
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https://www.britannica.com/more-on-this-day/October-6
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