1. The Wizard of Menlo Park’s Nasty Side
Tesla had over 700 patents in 26 countries. They included: X-ray devices, electric generators, electric arc lamps, fluorescent lights, spark plugs, robots, remote controls, bladeless turbines, the Tesla Coil, and FM radio. Indeed, the modern world as we know it would be impossible without Tesla. As the American Institute of Electrical Engineers put it: “Were we to seize and eliminate from our industrial world the results of Mr. Tesla’s work, the wheels of industry would cease to turn, our towns would be dark“. Thomas Edison’s worst act during the Current Wars might have been the time when he electrocuted an elephant to death as a stunt. As seen above, the Wizard of Menlo had millions invested in direct current, and that investment was threatened by alternating current.
When a dentist named Alfred Southwick sought his help to develop a humane method of execution by electrocution, Edison decided to turn AC’s strength into a liability, by highlighting its ability to kill. Edison talked Southwick to use alternating current to execute condemned prisoners in what became the electric chair. To cement in the public’s mind the link between AC’s risks and its promoter, George Westinghouse, Edison came up with a catchy name for the new method of execution: “Westinghousing”. The intrepid inventor then went on a whirlwind public tour to highlight alternating current’s deadliness. To demonstrate the rival current’s lethality, Edison used AC to publicly electrocute dozens of dogs, cows, horses, and a circus elephant named Topsy.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
American Mafia History – “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn
Am-Pole Eagle – The Man That Al Capone Feared
Atlas Obscura – The Movie Date That Solidified J.R.R. Tolkien’s Dislike of Walt Disney
Carlson, W. Bernard – Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age (2013)
Cheney, Margaret – Tesla: Man Out of Time (2011)
Comic Book Resources – Why the Creator of the Lord of the Rings Hated Disney
Cracked – The Pettiest Grudges Held by Historical Figures
Daily Beast – Rick James’ Intense Rivalry With Prince Nearly Came to Blows
Daily Beast – What the Hell Has Hollywood Got Against Nikola Tesla?
Encyclopedia Britannica – Hatfields and McCoys Feud
Far Out Magazine – The Bizarre Start of the Rivalry Between Prince and Michael Jackson
Guardian, The, August 28th, 2001 – Jane Greer
Hari, Johann – Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs (2016)
History Collection – Geriatric Glory: Historic Figures Who Did Amazing Things in Their Old Age
James, Rick – Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James (2015)
Life – Jane Greer: The Actress Whose Career Howard Hughes Tried to Quash
Los Angeles Times, August 28th, 2001 – Jane Greer, Star of Film Noir ‘Out of the Past’
Mafia History – What Do We Know About Frankie Yale?
Man of Many – The Story Behind Prince and Michael Jackson’s Rivalry
National Public Radio – What Not to Serve Buzzards for Lunch, a Glorious Science Experiment
Pop Matters – Prince and Michael Jackson: The Rivalry and the Revolution
Slate – What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in ‘The United States vs Billie Holliday?
Smithsonian Magazine, October 11th, 2011 – Edison vs Westinghouse: A Shocking Rivalry
Vanderbilt Magazine, November 1st, 2007 – Tumors May Have Fueled Hatfield-McCoy Feud
