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What happens when brilliant engineering meets raw, unadulterated corporate ego? You get the electrifying, cutthroat story of the War of the Currents
In this episode of History’s Greatest Dumpster Fires, we break down the chaotic and fascinating rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse (with Nikola Tesla behind the scenes). We explore Edison’s rise as a ruthless Gilded Age tycoon obsessed with Direct Current (DC), his brilliant but volatile relationship with a young Nikola Tesla, and the shocking, smear-filled lengths Edison went to in order to crush Alternating Current (AC).
Discover how George Westinghouse and Tesla ultimately revolutionized long-distance electrical power transmission, how Edison hired a young enterprising engineer who designed the world's first electric chair and how it completely backfired, and how Edison and Westinghouse died with glorious legacies and yet their subordinates died in oblivion or insanity.
What We Cover in This Episode:
- Part 1: War of the Currents – Edison vs. Tesla: Dive into the humble, deafness-defying background of Thomas Edison, his Menlo Park empire, his robber-baron personality, and the arrival of Nikola Tesla—a mathematical genius with an 18-hour work ethic and a direct ticket to New York.
- Part 2: From Electrical Sorcerer to Overqualified Ditch Digger: Unpack the science of DC versus AC electricity, why Edison refused to budge on his failing infrastructure due to pure ego, and how a broken $50,000 promise forced Tesla out onto the streets digging ditches for $2 a day.
- Part 3: The War of the Currents & The Electric Chair: Explore the wild smear campaign run by Harold P. Brown and Edison, featuring public animal electrocutions and the horrifying, botched execution of William Kemmler using the world's first electric chair.
- Part 4: How the Business Tycoons Won: Look at how George Westinghouse and Tesla played the long game, outsmarted Edison at the Chicago World's Fair, secured the Niagara Falls hydro-electric contract, and how J.P. Morgan ultimately ousted Edison from his own company.
- Part 5: Sucks to be These Guys...: Trace the tragic post-war declines of the supporting cast, from Harold Brown’s obscurity in concrete atomizers to Tesla's heartbreaking final years feeding pigeons in New York City.
Enjoyed this episode? Check out similar themed episodes involving 1890s history or examples of horrific consequences in the name of ego:
The Transatlantic Telegraph: Breaking, Frying, and Failing Across the Ocean - Episode 37
Lead in Gasoline (Pt. 1): How One Scientist Changed the World... For the Worst! - Episode 23
Lead in Gasoline (Pt. 2): How One Scientist Changed the World... For the Worst! - Episode 23
Movie Censorship (PT. 1): How the Early Days of Film Created Stars and Scandal - Episode 78
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