Edison's Staged Killings to Make AC Power Look Deadly

On July 30, 1888, reporters at Columbia College watched a dog die on a metal plate. It was the first act in a campaign by Edison's staff to make alternating current sound like a murder weapon. Harold Brown presented himself as a worried citizen, but he worked with Edison's staff and later in Edison's own laboratory. Over a year he ran animals through alternating current, steered New York toward the electric chair, and helped fill the papers with fear of one rival name, George Westinghouse. The campaign peaked with William Kemmler's botched execution at Auburn Prison in 1890, which embarrassed the men who had promised a painless death. The video follows how Westinghouse, Tesla's patents, the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and Niagara Falls settled the war, and who ended up owning the grid. It closes on the high-voltage direct current lines now returning to parts of the network. ⏱ Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:45 The Dog on the Plate 1:46 What Edison Stood to Lose, and the Man in Pittsburgh 4:27 Manufacturing Fear 7:33 The Chair, the Peddler and the Court 10:54 Auburn, the Botch and Topsy 12:47 Westinghouse on the Edge, Tesla's Fortune 14:17 Edison Loses His Own Company, Chicago Lights Up 16:14 Niagara and the Truce 17:46 Who Owns the Standard If this changed how you think about it, subscribe — there's a new one every week. #history #technology #electricity #thomasedison #nikolatesla #alternatingcurrent #directcurrent #electricchair