November 19, 2025 • 46 mins
Thomas Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb, but he created something more important: the grid. Edison's system of power plants and wires brought lightbulbs to homes and offices and revolutionized modern life.
Edison was adamant that direct current (DC) should power America, and attacked competitors who said that alternating current (AC) was better. This sparked a bitter war between Edison and his rivals - and prompted Edison to become involved in the first case of a murderer being sent to the electric chair.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Pushkin too quick.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
No, it's perfect push kit stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
You got it, Take one and see one.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Robert Smith. I'm gonna start with this. Thomas Edison did
not invent.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
The light bulb, killing me here.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You knew this. I did doubt this, Yeah, I mean
he improved it, right, But by the time he got
to work on the light bulb, this is like late
eighteen seventies. People had been working on incandescent bulbs for
a long time, right, for decades, but there was a problem, right,
nobody could figure out how to make a light bulb
that lasted, that lasted long enough to be a thing
people would actually use. And the key kind of limiting
(01:05):
factor was the filament, the thing in the bulb that
heats up and glows. Right, And so the base there's
a question is what thing can you use? What material
is cheap and abundant, and we'll make a good filament.
This is the canonical Edison story right here, right. If
you know one Thomas Edison story, you know the story
(01:25):
of Edison search for the right filament. He's in Menlo Park, right,
He's got the invention factory that we talked about last time.
He's got his muckers around him.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Filled with materials, test tubes, everything you can need for invention.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
They are trying literally thousands and thousands of things to
see what will work as a filament.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Here's a partial list from the Edmund Morris Edison biography
of things that they tried inside the light bulb. Sassafras, pith, monkey,
bast I think it's a tree, some tree, ginger root, pomegranate,
pl oh if only are modern technology is based on pomegranates,
eucalyped to, cinnamon bark, palm fronds, jute boiled in maple syrup.
(02:04):
How you even come up with that? You're like, jut's
not you didn't work? What if we go? Like I
got an idea macaroni and asked fault. There was also
this moment apparently where a few people on Edison's team
used hair from their beards as filaments. You know, they
had the long beards and they're like, I don't know,
maybe maybe my hair will be the one that solves
(02:26):
this problem. They take bets on whose would last the longest.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It would have been amazing if one guy's beard hair worked,
But then what do you do if it's just like
just his hair?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You're like, bro, we got to industrialize your man.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
So they do eventually find the thing, right, as we know,
and it's carbonized bamboo.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I did not know that.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And they make a prototype bulb with the filament of
carbonized bamboo and it lasts for one thousand, five hundred
and eighty nine hours. It's a winner, right, This is
long enough to make a light bulb that's gonna work.
And it finally burns out. And a guy in the
lab his you know, sees marks the time he takes
the bulb and he rushes upstairs to Edison to say,
(03:06):
we've got it, you know, a little light bulb above
his head. Idea, right, And and they all apparently like
start dancing around, go outside, dancing to the night because
they have succeeded.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
In the darkness, mind you, because the light bulb it
just burned out so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And so on January twenty seventh, eighteen eighty, Thomas Edison
is granted patent two two three eight nine eight. And
this patent is just called Gloriously Electric Lamp. And this
is Thomas Edison again not inventing the light bulb, right,
but improving it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But the thing I.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Want to say about this canonical Edison light bulb story
is the light bulb in the Thomas Edison story is
way overrated. There's another patent that he applied for around
the same time it was granted later that I think
is much more important, much more telling, much more at
the center of today's story, and that is Patent number
three six' nine two eight Zero system Of Electrical.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Distribution the. Grid the, grid the electrical grid the big.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Idea.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right the light bulb is the small idea of the,
bamboo but the grid is what will Change.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
America and really, strikingly this is What edison is thinking
about from the very. Beginning it's clear from the historical.
Record before he even gets anywhere with the, bulb he's
already imagining electrifying the. World I'm Jacob goldstein.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
And I'm Robert, smith and this Is Business, history a
show about the history of. Business this is our second
of three shows About Thomas. Edison last, time you may,
remember he built his invention factory on a hill and
he created the. Phonograph wasn't the first to bring it to,
market but still a, miracle and he became famous as
The wizard Of Menlo.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Park and so today we Find, edison still in his early,
thirties still a young, man a mere, boy and he's
thinking much bigger than the phonograph, now, Right he's not
thinking about a light. Bulb he is thinking about how
to power a city with a million light. Bulbs he's
thinking about how big electric power can be beyond the light.
(05:09):
Bulb electricity is going to be the transformative tech achnology
for the next one hundred years.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Ish and yet at a really crucial, Moment edison is
going to make a fundamental, mistake a classic business kind of,
mistake and this mistake is going to get him into
a public and really a really a gruesome. Fight people
call it The war of The, currents gets, personal gets,
ugly And, edison maybe for the first time in his,
life is going to.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Lose edison has this idea for the light bulb and
for the, grid and this idea presents a really, particular
really interesting kind of problem in, innovation, Right, like you
can come up with the new, idea you can build
the perfect, prototype a perfect light, bulb but the first,
locomotive you, know an electric vehicle that people are actually
(05:55):
might want to, Buy but nobody's going to buy a light,
bulb or a locomotive or an, evy no matter how
beautiful and perfect they, are unless there is this infrastructure
built around. Them. Right for a light bulb you need
an electric. Grid for a lot so, comotive you need
hundreds of miles of railroad. Tracks for an ev you
(06:15):
need charging stations all around the.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Country and we call this the network effect at business.
School it's the classic, like no one wants to join
a social network with only one person on.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
It, yes and at least with a social, network it's just, software,
right like you can if you can get people, going
it can. Build but in this, case in the case
of the light bulb and the, grid even if everybody
buys a light, bulb that's still not enough money to
build the. Grid, right there is this chicken and egg,
problem which is you need the money first to build
the infrastructure so that people will buy the light.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Bulb and this is what finance was invented for large
amounts of, money capital that can be invested for a future.
Outcome So edison wants to build his grid In Lower, manhattan,
right this is the densest area of The United states
at this. Point wants to dig up the streets and lay,
wires build these giant dynamos to generate electricity for, everyone
(07:07):
and the cost at the time just must have been.
Enormous but fortunately For, edison he knows a very rich,
person a financier whose office is right in the middle
of where the grid is, going not a, coincidence and
he's a massing power on this scale never before seen
in The United states Of. America this MAN Jp, Morgan oh,
Man i'm just gonna do a big reveal, It John Pierrepont,
(07:29):
MORGAN i was gonna do it in that, Voice, Okay,
YEAH Jp, morgan banker who created Modern american. Economy right
at the, Time america didn't have a central, bank AND
Jp morgan sort of acted as This he was this,
conduit the center of the spokes of all the money
and power in The United. States it went THROUGH Jp,
morgan AND Jp, morgan like billionaires, everywhere loved to be
(07:54):
the first to get a new. Technology and he loved
the electric. Light there's this story actually HE Jp morgan
had this mansion right in the middle Of, manhattan Of Midtown,
manhattan essentially right and he wanted to have, lights these
new electric. Lights but there wasn't a grid at the.
Time and just to go back a little, bit electric
(08:15):
generators had been around for a, while you, know probably
fifty years at this, Point Michael. Faraday and you, know
it's a way a mortar goes and it moves a
magnet next to a wire and it creates electric, current
but has to be very close to the electric. Light
so in order to get electric lights in his, mansion
he had to also have a. Generator and this meant
(08:35):
he had to hire somebody to run the. Generator and
this person would come at three o'clock in the, afternoon
rank up or however they started the, generator the lights
would go on in the. House AND i just picture
eight nine, o'clock this single glowing house in the middle Of.
Manhattan everyone else has the flickering gas, lights but you've
got this bright electric light in the middle Of. Manhattan
(08:57):
and then at eleven o'clock and she was, like, yeah
turn it off the, engine turn it off and goes,
home like this was such a pain in the ass
that only the richest man In america could have this
kind of.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
System.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Right in, fact at one POINT i guess he wired
up some of the light MPs on his. Desk if
someone did it for, him and it started a fire
and they put out the fire and they're, LIKE i don't,
know this is kind of, weird like for you to
have this dangerous technology like running through your. Home and he's, like,
eh it's.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Fine So morgan becomes the key backer Of Thomas edison
and his dream of building a, grid And morgan gets
the money.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Together that's what he.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Does he finances this essential, infrastructure And edison makes it.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Happen you, know.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
His team digs up the streets all around The Lower.
Manhattan they put the wires. In edison builds this power
station On Pearl, street and, amazingly the whole thing from
like the time he gets the idea until it's ready
to go is four, years which, like what could you
build In New york? Today had four?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Years we used to build things in this. Country it's,
True it's.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
True, Okay So september, fourth eighteen eighty, two we are.
Ready edison is ready to turn on the. Power tell
me there's one of those giant, switches you, know LIKE
i think there is a jump. Switch. Yeah, interestingly, Interestingly
edison is not the man to pull. It in, fact
(10:21):
he's not even at this power station that he has.
Built he's a few blocks away the office Of, morgan.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Right the real power.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Situation, Right, yeah So edison is At morgan's office On Wall.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Street the power' is supposed to go on at three
in the.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Afternoon you, know there's light bulbs screwed into sockets all
around the, office and you, know there's all these fancy
people standing there waiting for the lights to go, on
and it's almost three and nobody's ever done this, before
so it's not even clear if it's going to. Work,
Right they're standing there thinking are the lights going to
go on in a minute or? Not and a guy
goes one hundred dollars says they don't go, on, schmuck
(11:00):
And edison goes. Taken and then the lights go. On,
whoo it, works gets this hundred bucks and they go,
on you.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Know around the.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Neighborhood they go on around this, neighborhood around the power.
Station but it's not like all Of, manhattan, Right this
power plant is big enough to light up like a.
Mile it's not even a square mile at the, beginning
but that's about the limit of. It and this is
really important because it's not just because this is like.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
A prototype or.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Something it's inherent to the technology That edison is, using and,
specifically specifically he's generating direct current OR dc. Power and
for sort of basic, reasons you couldn't SEND dc power
much more than a mile from from where it was.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Generated, now of, course at this point we could, say,
oh it's we don't want to get the whole COMPLICATED
ac VERSUS dc. Two we do want to SO dc
direct CURRENT i like to think of as blowing air
through a, straw. Right electrons are moving through a wire
in a straight, line, Essentially and anyone who's been a
kid has probably built something with a little little light
(12:03):
bulb and two wires and a battery that is a
direct current and battery battery is direct.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Current today when you have a battery that is sending direct.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Current but there is a different kind of power called
alternating CURRENT. Ac and this is kind of a genius, move.
Right you want electrons to move in the. Wire that's
what creates the, work but nothing says it has to
go in one particular. Direction it works if you send
the electrons in the opposite, direction or it works if
the electrons kind of go back and. Forth that's the alternating,
(12:35):
hoo it does just as much. WORK i saw something
on the, internet AND i love this idea of a.
Saw like a saw does not go in one. Direction
a saw goes back and. Forth but if you do it,
enough you can saw through a. Log, Right so we
have the there through the straw of the direct current
and the saw the alternating. Current, sure and there's one
quality OF ac that is going to be essential, here
(12:57):
and that is this thing we're talking about about the.
Distance so in the nature OF, ac you can basically
run it at really high, voltages like really high dangerous.
Voltages and the way it works is you could send
those vultage is over wires for, miles hundreds of miles,
really and then you use something called a transformer to
step that power down to something. Useful but those transmission,
(13:21):
lines the one you see all over the country, now
like the transmission line is the key. Here they run
an alternating. Current they can go for amazing, distances and
so then you have this trade, off right like, like, well,
okay high, power high, voltage really, dangerous THAT'S. Ac but
it goes a long, way or you could go a
(13:43):
shorter distance at a lower. Voltage it's much. Safer And Thomas,
EDISON i don't, know maybe because he's a good, guy
or maybe because he just thinks he can build millions
of power, stations you, know local power. Stations Thinks i'm
gonna go WITH. Dc it is the safe and reasonable
thing to do. Here not everybody makes that choice.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Though right In europe in, particular they start experimenting WITH
ac systems pretty. Early and this industrialist in THE us
Named Jorge Orge westinghouse sees. This, right he reads the,
journals he keeps up with, technology And westinghouse is going
to become the acy guy In. America and Westing house is.
INTERESTING i didn't really know about him before.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
This had his name on appliances on a famous science. Prize,
yes that's That.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Westinghouse so he was, like he's kind of like a
second tier, industrialist, Right like he's not like A vanderbilt
or A. Carnegie but he was a big. Deal then
invented an air brake for trains that was his first.
Thing has a company In, pittsburgh and like seems, like
at least as far as sort of robber barons, go
seems like a decent guy and gave Workers saturday afternoons
off as well As sunday and a nine hour, day
(14:49):
which at the time was like pretty. Good he hired
women as engineers when basically nobody else.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Did and so in eighteen.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Eighty, five which is three years After edison turned on
the power In, Manhattan westinghouse buys THE us rights to
THIS ac system that they've been working on In, europe.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And he knows what is now sort of this fundamental canon,
business which is just because you're first doesn't mean you're
going to. Win like you see the power That edison
had and you're, like, WELL i think there's a better.
System they can Beat. Edison now That edison is sort
of demonstrated that a grid is, possible let me show
you what a giant grid would look. Like, yeah SO
ac has this advantage giant.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Grid it does still have one disadvantage That westinghouse is
acutely aware, of and that is. Motors, Right like we
start with the light. Bulb but as we were saying
at the, beginning like electricity is going to be this
transformative what's the Word i'm looking, For.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Like you MEAN gpt general purpose TECHNOLOGY.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Q electricity is going to be this general purpose technology like, Computers,
right it's going to be this thing that changes, everything
and people are starting to realize, that and in particular
they're realizing that electric motors are going to be a
huge deal for. Industry you, know the steam engine at
this point is like one hundred years old or, so the,
useful widely applied steam, engine, right it was the driver
(16:12):
of the industrial revolution that allowed people to make better,
factories more widely distributed at powered trains and. Boats and
so now you, see, oh the motor's going to be even.
Better the electric motor is smaller than a steam, engine
it's more, efficient you can put it around the factory
wherever you need. It but at this point in the eighteen,
eighties there ARE dc, motors but there are no sort
(16:35):
of practical EFFICIENT ac. Motors And westinghouse KNOWS ac is
not going to BEAT dc without a. Motor fortunately For,
westinghouse he's about to meet one of the great electrical
geniuses of the.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Age really of any. Age you're going to save it
till after the, break we should say it, Now Nikola,
tesla man who went to work For edison and then
quit after the.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Break Robert, Smith let's tell me About Nikola.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Tesla Nikola tesla beloved by nerds, everywhere classic serbian. Weirdo
such a weird, guy, poet, genius and he comes into this.
Story you have the little Frumpy Thomas. Edison you, know
he loved to dress in country where you, know lived
out there In farmville In New. Jersey you, know just
(17:51):
a Classic american good. Guy and into this picture good
Comes Nikola, tesla six foot, two gray blue, eyes beautiful,
mustache and he had these weird personality. Traits for, instance
he loved the number. Three he felt like the number
three was mystical in some, way so before he'd go
(18:11):
into a, building he'd have to walk around it three. Times.
Okay so he fell in love with electricity as a.
Toddler so the story goes when he was petting his
cat in the evening and he saw these bright sparks
going between his hand and the cat right and his mom, says,
hey stop playing with the, cat you'll start a. Fire
And tesla, thinks electricity fire is nature a giant cat
(18:38):
and if, so who strokes its, back it can only Be.
GOD i love him so. Much so he grows up
studies electricity In budapest and one day he's walking in
the park with a, friend and he has this inspiration
and he picks up a, stick and in the dirt
he draws the solution to the big, problem AN ac,
(18:58):
motor a, beautiful EFFICIENT ac, motor like a True eureka,
Moment And tesla says to his, friend no more will
men be slaves to hard. Tasks my motor will set them,
free will do the work of the.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
World it's one of those lines that if it was somebody,
ELSE i wouldn't believe that the guy said. It BUT
i feel Like tesla is totally the guy who says.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
THAT i think he speaks in complete cryptic poetic.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
SENTENCES i bet he said that all the time about his.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Inventions, yeah it just happens to be the one that's,
true right every time you op it's a. Door he, goes,
now men will no longer be slaves the hard. Tasks
men will no longer have to open. Doors so he
makes it to THE us and he does what anyone
would do in this. Situation he goes to work For.
Edison he's, Like edison's the, guy, Right But edison is
not interested In TESLA'S ac motor Because edison has already
(19:45):
made his mental decision that he is A dc. Man
So tesla, quits gets a little, funding gets a patent
on HIS ac, motor and pretty soon who comes knocking
At tesla's. Door George. Westinghouse So George. Westinghouse remember he's
seen THE ac In. Europe he thinks that this is
going to be the. Answer so he Pays tesla seventy
(20:07):
thousand dollars in cash what enormous amount at the, time,
right and royalties on every Future tesla. Motor they're already
calling It tesla. Motor The westinghouse sells And Nikola. Tesla
you know he carefully saves and invests at seventy thousand
dollars in. Cash, no he does. Not he is A
serbian poet. Genius he starts to spend. It. Right he
(20:29):
moves into The Waldorf, astoria the fanciest hotel In New
york at the. Time he wears tailored. Suits he eats
dinner every night At. DELMONICO'S i think it's like precisely
at eight. Ten why nobody knows he has eighteen napkins
delivered to. HIM a little bit of a. Germophobe was
eighteen's divisible by, three and he becomes this, celebrity, right
(20:50):
people Like Mark twain come to hang out In tesla's
lab just to watch the electricity, fly the lightning bolts
across the. Room, meanwhile across The Hudson river In.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
New, jersey Boring, edison our main character come.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
On, okay huge history.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Of business and, technology and he is seeing his lead.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Diminish.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Right he was first in the world with the, grid
with HIS dc, grid but Now westinghouse AND Ac power
are catching. Up and there's this interesting, question, right, like
Is edison only TEAM dc because that's what his patents,
are you, know, strongest and that's where he.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Started or does he really believe THAT ac is?
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Dangerous AND i think he really BELIEVED ac is. Dangerous
now maybe it's motivated, reasoning, Right, no.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
BUT i THINK i think because he sees farther than most.
PEOPLE i think that what he saw was these wires
will go into every, home every, business under every. Street
it will be on every street, corner. Huh and so
he could probably see that, like this will be the
technology that people will directly interact, with and why not
(22:00):
make it?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Safe and it is the case around this time that
there are these instances, where, like you, know a kid
will accidentally touch a down TO ac wire and die
like that happens, routinely and in, fact a given, VOLTAGE
ac is more dangerous THAN dc in part kind of
amazingly because the nature OF ac and the human body
(22:20):
is such that if you, accidentally like grab AN ac,
wire something about the alternating current can like freeze your
muscles so that you cannot let go and you just
hold it until you. Die So edison feels like he
needs to tell the world about the dangers of alternating,
current and he starts to attack not JUST ac But.
(22:43):
Westinghouse it starts In february of eighteen eighty. Eight he
publishes a booklet first.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Shot in The war of The.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Currents the booklet is CALLED A warning from The Edison
Electric Light, company.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Eighty eight pages.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Long eighty eight page is long a, novella let's, say
and it lays out all the REASONS ac is, bad like,
yes the, danger but Also edison says he owns all
the relevant patents and so look, Out i'm gonna shut you.
Down and also he points out that Still westinghouse hasn't
figured out how to reliably produce AN ac, motor like
he's you, know working on Producing tesla's. Idea but it's
(23:18):
still in.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Progress but the booklet is just the. Beginning and Imagine,
edison you, know he sees the. Dangers he fears that
he is, losing and so he starts TO i would,
say go too, far. Right he secretly sponsors a guy
who does these public displays that goes to you, know college,
campuses you, know as a public service announcement about DEADLY ac.
(23:40):
Power Harold brown is his, Name and he gets up
on the stage and he reads a paper about the
virtues OF dc and the dangers OF. Ac but all
the time he's, reading the audience can see there is
a dog cowering in a wooden. Crate one time it
was a seventy six Pound, newfoundland, right so like this
(24:01):
is why people have. Gathered at one, Point brown turns
his attention to the. Dog to The, newfoundland he hooks
wires to its back legs and front, paws and he
starts delivering jolts OF ace and THEN dc power back and.
Forth and then Eventually brown administers a deadly jolt OF
ac and dog, dies proving he says to the crowd
(24:23):
that you, KNOW ac is more Deadly in, Secret Apparently
edison Let brown like do experiments on, dogs offering a
reward for people to bring stray dogs to. Execute you.
Know it was drawing, crowds but it wasn't quite. Working
so they start to use ac to electrocute calves horses
just to show, you, like this is so. Dangerous it
(24:43):
can take down an animal larger than a.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Human and then they go from animals to. People what
happens is the state Of New. York someone in the
state government Of New york decides that the state needs
to modernize the way it executes convicted. Criminals they'd been
using hanging death by, hanging which apparently goes wrong more
(25:06):
THAN i. Thought it's harder to hang people THAN i.
Thought and so somebody, thinks, oh, well, electricity that's this,
new you, know high tech. Thing maybe that will work.
Better and so somebody writes To, edison you, know the
wizard Of Mello, park the expert on, electricity and says
should we use electricity for state? Executions and Initially edison, SAYS.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
I oppose capital.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Punishment don't bother me about, this let me go andvent.
Things but then he thinks about it some, more and
he gets back to, him and he, says, yes electricity could.
Work oh and by the, way it should definitely be alternating.
Current and he even writes a letter where he says
state should buy generators that are quote alternating machines manufactured
(25:56):
principally in this country By George westinghouse.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Says it by. NAME i can't believe, it and it
does make me sad BECAUSE i Know edison is the
hero of the, story as he is for this whole,
series and generally so far we've seen him make i would,
say pretty moral decisions about his, technology, Right AND i
mean that's his whole, vibe LIKE i am bringing magic
to the world to make every one better. Off and
(26:22):
this is one of those instances where maybe he's talked
himself into it that this is the right thing to.
Do maybe he thinks THAT i can't bully my way
out of this with lawyers and. Patents but this is
the first Time i've seen him really go after a
competitor in a way that is.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Vicious it's, bad, Right it's. Bad New york Takes edison's.
Advice of, Course westinghouse isn't going to sell The state
Of New york, generators but they actually buy Used westinghouse,
generators and they build a few electric, chairs the first electric.
Chairs and On march twenty ninth of eighteen eighty, nine
(27:01):
a man Named William, kemmler Who The New York times
calls an alcoholic vegetable peddler in the slums Of. Buffalo
he wakes up from a drinking, binge starts arguing with his,
Girlfriend Matilda, ziggler accuses her of cheating on, him and,
then according to The, times when the argument reached a,
(27:21):
Peak kemler calmly went to the, barn grabbed a hatchet
and returned to the house and he Killed Matilda giggler
with the. Hatchet it's pretty.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Clear he did. It he says he did.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It there's a lot of evidence that he did, it
and he's convicted and he's sentenced to, death and he's
on his way to being the first person ever executed
by the state with. Electricity in, fact somebody invents the
word electrocution right around this. Time but of Course westinghouse
doesn't want this to. Happen he doesn't want his machines
(27:54):
killing a man in this very public, way and So
westinghouse hires a. Lawyer this really famous lawyer to Defend
kemler to argue in particular that killing someone in the
electric chair is cruel and unusual. Punishment by the, way
the electric chair was actually invented by a by A
New york dentist who happened to be a, quicker and
(28:15):
he had seen someone accidentally touch a generator and be instantly,
killed and he, thought, oh this would be a more
humane alternative to. Hanging so, anyway On july twenty, third
eighteen eighty, Nine edison is called to testify in this
case over whether killing someone in an electric chair is
cruel and unusual. Punishment, edison AS i mentioned in the previous,
(28:40):
episode is largely. Deaf he goes into testify and the
lawyer basically has to like yell Into edison's good year
So edison can hear the. Question The New York times
said you could hear it from the, street though maybe
that's poetic.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
License here we have the transcript. Here the lawyer, SAYS
i went to the yelling. Part do you believe that
an artificial current can be produced which will cause death
instantly and painlessly when scientifically? Applied And edison, says that
is my firm belief his. Exchange his testimony runs in
The New York, times the headline testimony of The, wizard
(29:14):
and then the subhead, says he is positive that an
alternating current of one thousand volts would surely kill a.
Man can't buy that kind of. Publicity you Anti.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Edison tried to buy, it but in this case they
didn't have to buy. It and in, Fact kemler loses the.
Case the judge says the state can execute him in
the electric.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Chair and so the day.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Comes It's august, sixth eighteen. Ninety kemler gets woken up
at five, am puts on a suit as a black
and white check bow. Tie they shave part of his
head so that they can put an electrode, there you,
know to make contact with the. Skin at the last,
minute actually the worden has to cut Through kemmler's like
shirt tail so that their electrode can make contact with his.
(29:57):
Back And kemler seems. Collected the warden seems. Nervous, actually
the warden seems kind of, shaky But kemler's. Collected kemler
actually says to the, warden take your, time do it,
right and the warden attaches the electrodes Straps kemler's arms
to the. Chair he actually puts this sort of leather
mask On kemler's face that straps his head back into the.
(30:21):
Chair and then the warden says Goodbye, william which is the.
Signal it's the signal for someone to turn on the
power to the, chair and they do. That they turn
on the. Power kemler's body goes, rigid just like a bronze,
statue somebody, Said and they leave the power on for seventeen,
seconds and there's a doctor standing right there monitoring, it
(30:44):
and he says he's. Dead that's, enough and they turn
off the power and power goes, off and then they
look At kemmler and they see that he's still. Breathing
oh he's not. Dead people start. Screaming someone. Faints so
they turn on the power, again and this time they
leave it, on not for seventeen, seconds but for several.
Minutes it Burns kemler's. Flesh you can smell. It apparently
(31:07):
in the. Room his clothes catch on fire and somebody
puts it, out and then finally they turn off the,
power and this Time kemeler is. Dead and that dentist
who invented the electric chair. Was in, fact one of
the witnesses was in the room at the, time and
after it was, over what he said, was, quote we
(31:29):
live in a higher civilization from this.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Day business history will be back in a.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Moment that is the end of the. Ads and now
(32:01):
we're going back to the. Show kemmler has been, executed
and in fact his death is on the front page
of newspapers around the, country all talking about how horrible it.
Was but the news doesn't have the effect on public
opinion That edison frankly hoped it. Would. Right everybody doesn't suddenly, say,
(32:22):
oh we can't HAVE ac, power it's obviously too. Dangerous
they basically just, said oh, yeah do not strap me
into a chair and run a thousand volts OF ac
power through my.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Body and you, know in, fact the key audience here.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Is not the mass, public, right it's the government officials
who are the ones deciding what kind of of power,
plant what kind of power system to.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Buy, yeah and you don't want to have to build
A dc power plant every six or seven, blocks like you, Think,
WELL i can just put one big power plants and
the high power transmission lines out and we'll put safety
measures in. Effect so it kind of makes sense that
if you're thinking of it that, way you are going
to go with the more efficient.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Option and the last big moment in the, fight how
is It Niagara? Falls, actually by, way how many a's
are there At? Niagara?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Three? Two It's? Niagara, OKAY i didn't.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
KNOW i kept spelling it, wrong AND i get the
little line In google docs It's. Niagara so the final
moment in the in The war of the, currents it
happens At Niagra. Falls because you, know they're like these
businessmen and bankers looking at this beautiful falls and, thinking
look at all that kinetic. Energy we could definitely spend some. Turbises, yeah,
(33:40):
Right so they decide they're going to build what is by,
far by, far the biggest power plant in the. World
and so when they're making the, decision LIKE dc is
still a, Possibility, Actually Lord telvin Of absolute Zero phase,
says go.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
WITH, dc but they go WITH.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
A see they Use westinghouse, generators and it is really
striking what happens. There as soon as this is. Happening
as this is, happening big power intensive companies see that
it's happening and start moving their operations to be next
To Niagara, falls essentially like a striking one is The
Aluminum company Of america Al CoA Akal CoA takes a
(34:19):
ton of electricity right, still right, still where aluminum plants
are around the world is where there is cheap electric,
power because that is the big expensive, input, right and
so cheap abundant power From Niagara falls and places like
it is truly what allows, aluminum for, example to become
this cheap, abundant essential twentieth century. Material you, know soda,
(34:42):
cans aluminum, siding, airplanes right this you need cheap electricity
to get. This and like go back to the beginning
of the, show right WHEN i was SAYING i don't
care about the light, BULB i care about the. Grid
this is What i'm talking, about, Right like what matters
is the. Grid what matters is, cheap, reliable abundant electric.
(35:03):
Power this is the Second Industrial. Revolution this is the
great transformation that creates the twentieth. Century and, like go even, bigger,
Right like human material progress for all time foundationally rests
on harnessing. Energy like you can go all the way
back to, fire the first big, one, right and then
(35:24):
you can go to The Industrial, revolution, right basically coal
and the steam engine are the bedrock of. It and
then now you have, electricity this next huge step function
in human material well.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Being and you can see because of the aluminum, plant
how cheap electricity makes aluminum, cheaper which makes cans cheaper
and eventually airplanes cheaper and all the things you build
out of. Aluminum you can see that fundamental efficiency travel
through the entire industrial.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
System yes, everything, right all factories are going to switch
from steam power to electricity because it's. Better and it takes,
decades you see, it like well into the twentieth, century
you're still seeing productivity.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Gains that are the result of.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Electricity and now so we Have, edison, right this is
a story About, edison and he plays a super interesting
role in this, story, Right, like on the one, hand
he is the guy for, electricity builds the first real,
grid makes the, breakthrough makes it happen, fast and gets the.
Money but also right after that he bets wrong in
(36:33):
what like, frankly at least in, retrospect seems like a
pretty obvious, mistake Right, like he bets ON dc when
ac it seems clearly like it was the better.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Pick it's interesting one of the THINGS i love about
business history is that there's so much logic and numbers
in the whole, Thing but then there's always a moment
where ego steps, in AND i do think there, Is
like this is a man who has not fubbled the
ball for most of his, career mistakes the. Phonograph, yeah
but like he's like he's, famous you, know the most,
(37:07):
famous the most, famous and he's getting used to using
that fame to get exactly what he, wants and he
just steps one step too. Far, Yeah like he's too, attached,
Right like he was too in love with his original.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Idea and it is, Amazing Like edison was just so
focused ON dc Literally tesla was working for. Him tesla
had the idea for THE ac, motor like it was right,
there But edison couldn't let go of his original. Idea
and this is like a classic business. STORY i couldn't
think of a like of a perfect. ANALOGY i, mean
(37:41):
like kind of Like sony With Beta, max which came BEFORE,
vhs but not. EXACTLY i mean one that's really, fun
if not exactly the, same but THAT i, like did
you know that in the year two, Thousand Blockbuster video
had the chance to Buy netflix for fifty million.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Dollars, oh could have SENT vhs tapes to the.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
Mail, yeah, right so right at that, Time netflix was
DVDs by mail And blockbuster was, like that's some, weirdo
niche business for. Cinephiles you've got thousand video, stores we
make all this money on late.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Fees we're not gonna do.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
It and it's easy to mock in retrospect when people
make these kind of. Mistakes but, like if You're, edison
to go back To edison, right in a, Way edison
maybe had to be so attached to his, idea, Right,
like think of what he's deciding to, do, right he's,
thinking not only AM i gonna perfect the light bulb
in a world where people have been working on it
for decades and haven't done, It i'm gonna build the
(38:37):
world's first grid when that doesn't. Exist i'm gonna dig
Up manhattan And i'm gonna do it in four.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Years.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Right so maybe to be that audacious you have to
be so full of confidence that you don't have any.
Doubt you know that you stick to beliefs even when you're.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Wrong when you have an invention and you're out there
competing on what's the best. Invention that's one. Thing but
when you're in one of these standards wars where you
realize there will only be one. Winner And edison was
probably familiar with, this you, know on the, railroad like
there has to be a certain width of the railroad, gauge,
right and like someone's going to win because it only
(39:15):
makes sense to have one. Winner and so you, know
we can debate his, reasons but it is logical to,
say if my confidence can make my standard, win Then
i'm going to show no doubt, whatsoever even when the
evidence is to the.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Contrary i'm going to be the winner who takes. All
so he didn't, win of, Course and in, fact even
before that power plant At niagara got, BUILT Jp, morgan you,
know the original guy who Made edison's power grid dream come.
TRUE Jp morgan saw saw which way the wind was.
BLOWING i thing he was good, at, right not a
(39:55):
man who got emotionally. Attached and he Merged edison's, Company
Edison General, electric with another company Called Thompson, houston which
was in THE ac. Business of, Course edison hated the, deal,
Right he didn't want to be in business with a
company that was DOING ac but he lost control Of
Edison General electric by that, point and in, fact after the,
(40:17):
Merger Edison General electric became known as Just General electric
GE ge And edison basically walked. Away but the one,
thing like we're gonna Leave edison, here but the one
THING i want to, Say and this is kind of
setting him up for the next time when we'll talk
About edison's final big. Triumph edison didn't look back like
(40:39):
he always, thought the next thing is gonna be even,
bigger and he thought that at this. Point he thought
that when he walked away From, Electricity and next time
we'll talk about what Was edison's last big, triumph which
was the, movies moving, pictures and specifically the Way edison
came to control the Entire american film industry despite the
(40:59):
fact that he did not invent the.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Movie, camera becoming his style right his. Style before we,
go we should talk about the end Of Nikola tesla's. Story,
tesla of, course was the man who could have Made
edison the ac. King we wouldn't be telling the story
in this. Case we would just be like he's a
genius all the way. Through edison too stubborn to. Listen
when we last Left. Tesla he had sold the rights
(41:21):
to HIS ac motor patent To George, westinghouse and he's
living the high life At delmonico's with his eighteen, napkins
hanging out With Mark. Twain and a key turning point
comes from a few years. Later it's eighteen ninety, one,
Right George westinghouse is in a little bit of financial.
Trouble he thinks he can. Win he thinks The tesla
motor still the, way but you, know cash, flow, right.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Financial crisis loves are getting called, in so he goes
to See, westinghouse goes to See tesla In New.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
York and, Remember tesla's supposed to get a royalty on
every SINGLE ac motor That westinghouse, sells but at this
point they're still perfecting. It And westinghouse says To, tesla
will you give up your royalties SO i can keep
control of my company and keep developing your, motor And,
tesla according to his, autobiography says To, westinghouse Mister, westinghouse
(42:11):
you will save your company so that you can develop my.
Inventions here is your contract and here's my. CONTRACT i
will tear both of them to, pieces and you will
no longer have any troubles from my, royalties and he
tears the contract up again.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
Because It's, TESLA i believe it legend right, right and.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
A huge, mistake a, terrible terrible, mistake Because tesla would
go on to come up with other. Ideas he was
apparently working on how to transmit electricity through the, air
like to basically take the next leap beyond the, grid
built this giant tower out On Long. Island. Right there
are stories about like did he, succeed like did it actually?
(42:54):
Happen but doesn't matter because the money wasn't, there, Right
none of his projects worked. Out he wasn't making. Money
he had to move out of The Waldorf astoria and
into a cheaper. Hotel Hotel New yorker still stands room
three two two seven not divisible by three et check.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
The last two numbers are that? Count he was he
was on such hard times that he couldn't even get
a room to.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
Visit he's, like do you have one two doors? Down
about one door down the other? Way there's a plaque
on the hotel room door to this. Day and in,
fact if you go to the basement of The New Yorker,
hotel you can see some of the personal effects that
he left in this.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Room but you have done, Yes that's WHY i haven't
done this.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Now it's just like Nick knacks and pictures of him
because at the, time like he was still this famous
genius and even before a certain person would name his
company after, Him, tesla like there was This tesla. Cult
and to this day you can go See Tesla corner
Near Bryant park In. Manhattan you can see where his
(43:58):
lab was really close to, HERE i think In Midtown.
Manhattan you can go see his personal effects at The
New Yorker. Hotel there is still this like vibe of
this poet genius who could have who maybe could have
solved this next problem that wasn't. SOLVED i will say
that the last notable thing In tesla's life is a.
(44:20):
Pigeon it was a homing pigeon had a band on its,
leg But tesla had no idea where it came from
or who had owned. It and it would come to
visit him in his hotel room high Above manhattan on
The West, side and So tesla would start to feed
this pigeon and the bird would come and, go and
this became the Thing tesla was focused on at the,
(44:44):
end and, eventually like the, pigeon stopped coming. Back And
tesla told his, biographer when that pigeon, died something went
out of my. LIFE i. Know up to that, TIME
i knew with a certainty THAT i would complete my,
work no matter how ambitious my. Program but when that
something went out of my, LIFE i knew my life's
work was. Finished sad. Man it's a sad end For
(45:06):
jesus end and he died in nineteen forty, three poor
but not.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Forgotten so that's the end of the show. TODAY i
would recommend this Book empires Of light By Jill, jones two,
ends which Was it's a great book all about this
war of the. Currents it was a key source for
the show. Today we'll be back next week with the
last episode in Our edison. Series that is the story
Of edison and the.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Movies Bump, bump, bump bump bum at The. Muppets that's
my generic old timey. Ah our showrunner Is Ryan, dilly
our producer Is Gabriel Hunter, chang and our engineer Is Sarah.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Bruguier I'm Jacob, Goldstein I'm Robert.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
Smith we'll be back next. Week with another episode Of Business.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
History a show about the history of Business Robert. Smith
as you, know there is nowhere In pushkin's office to
make a video to make a video, podcast which is.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Unfortunate we tried and it was described as two gray
men in a gray, box and reasonably so fortunately for.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Us in an amazing, coincidence literally down the hall From putin's,
office there is the showroom of a company Called Buzzy.
Space this is a company is where we're sitting right,
now and what they do is they design furniture and
acoustic solutions that Make i'm reading here workplace is more,
comfortable more, creative and more.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
FUN i would even say. Cozy their furniture is like
sort of curved and interesting, colors AND i guess keeps things.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Quiet, yes, HONESTLY i wish our office was this. Showroom
you can find more.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
At buzzy Dot.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Space That's buzzi Dot. Space
Pushkin too quick.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
No, it's perfect push kit stuff.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
You got it, Take one and see one.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Robert Smith. I'm gonna start with this. Thomas Edison did
not invent.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
The light bulb, killing me here.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
You knew this. I did doubt this, Yeah, I mean
he improved it, right, But by the time he got
to work on the light bulb, this is like late
eighteen seventies. People had been working on incandescent bulbs for
a long time, right, for decades, but there was a problem, right,
nobody could figure out how to make a light bulb
that lasted, that lasted long enough to be a thing
people would actually use. And the key kind of limiting
(01:05):
factor was the filament, the thing in the bulb that
heats up and glows. Right, And so the base there's
a question is what thing can you use? What material
is cheap and abundant, and we'll make a good filament.
This is the canonical Edison story right here, right. If
you know one Thomas Edison story, you know the story
(01:25):
of Edison search for the right filament. He's in Menlo Park, right,
He's got the invention factory that we talked about last time.
He's got his muckers around him.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Filled with materials, test tubes, everything you can need for invention.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
They are trying literally thousands and thousands of things to
see what will work as a filament.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Here's a partial list from the Edmund Morris Edison biography
of things that they tried inside the light bulb. Sassafras, pith, monkey,
bast I think it's a tree, some tree, ginger root, pomegranate,
pl oh if only are modern technology is based on pomegranates,
eucalyped to, cinnamon bark, palm fronds, jute boiled in maple syrup.
(02:04):
How you even come up with that? You're like, jut's
not you didn't work? What if we go? Like I
got an idea macaroni and asked fault. There was also
this moment apparently where a few people on Edison's team
used hair from their beards as filaments. You know, they
had the long beards and they're like, I don't know,
maybe maybe my hair will be the one that solves
(02:26):
this problem. They take bets on whose would last the longest.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It would have been amazing if one guy's beard hair worked,
But then what do you do if it's just like
just his hair?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
You're like, bro, we got to industrialize your man.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
So they do eventually find the thing, right, as we know,
and it's carbonized bamboo.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
I did not know that.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And they make a prototype bulb with the filament of
carbonized bamboo and it lasts for one thousand, five hundred
and eighty nine hours. It's a winner, right, This is
long enough to make a light bulb that's gonna work.
And it finally burns out. And a guy in the
lab his you know, sees marks the time he takes
the bulb and he rushes upstairs to Edison to say,
(03:06):
we've got it, you know, a little light bulb above
his head. Idea, right, And and they all apparently like
start dancing around, go outside, dancing to the night because
they have succeeded.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
In the darkness, mind you, because the light bulb it
just burned out so beautiful.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
And so on January twenty seventh, eighteen eighty, Thomas Edison
is granted patent two two three eight nine eight. And
this patent is just called Gloriously Electric Lamp. And this
is Thomas Edison again not inventing the light bulb, right,
but improving it.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
But the thing I.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Want to say about this canonical Edison light bulb story
is the light bulb in the Thomas Edison story is
way overrated. There's another patent that he applied for around
the same time it was granted later that I think
is much more important, much more telling, much more at
the center of today's story, and that is Patent number
three six' nine two eight Zero system Of Electrical.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Distribution the. Grid the, grid the electrical grid the big.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Idea.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right the light bulb is the small idea of the,
bamboo but the grid is what will Change.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
America and really, strikingly this is What edison is thinking
about from the very. Beginning it's clear from the historical.
Record before he even gets anywhere with the, bulb he's
already imagining electrifying the. World I'm Jacob goldstein.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
And I'm Robert, smith and this Is Business, history a
show about the history of. Business this is our second
of three shows About Thomas. Edison last, time you may,
remember he built his invention factory on a hill and
he created the. Phonograph wasn't the first to bring it to,
market but still a, miracle and he became famous as
The wizard Of Menlo.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Park and so today we Find, edison still in his early,
thirties still a young, man a mere, boy and he's
thinking much bigger than the phonograph, now, Right he's not
thinking about a light. Bulb he is thinking about how
to power a city with a million light. Bulbs he's
thinking about how big electric power can be beyond the light.
(05:09):
Bulb electricity is going to be the transformative tech achnology
for the next one hundred years.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Ish and yet at a really crucial, Moment edison is
going to make a fundamental, mistake a classic business kind of,
mistake and this mistake is going to get him into
a public and really a really a gruesome. Fight people
call it The war of The, currents gets, personal gets,
ugly And, edison maybe for the first time in his,
life is going to.
Speaker 2 (05:33):
Lose edison has this idea for the light bulb and
for the, grid and this idea presents a really, particular
really interesting kind of problem in, innovation, Right, like you
can come up with the new, idea you can build
the perfect, prototype a perfect light, bulb but the first,
locomotive you, know an electric vehicle that people are actually
(05:55):
might want to, Buy but nobody's going to buy a light,
bulb or a locomotive or an, evy no matter how
beautiful and perfect they, are unless there is this infrastructure
built around. Them. Right for a light bulb you need
an electric. Grid for a lot so, comotive you need
hundreds of miles of railroad. Tracks for an ev you
(06:15):
need charging stations all around the.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Country and we call this the network effect at business.
School it's the classic, like no one wants to join
a social network with only one person on.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
It, yes and at least with a social, network it's just, software,
right like you can if you can get people, going
it can. Build but in this, case in the case
of the light bulb and the, grid even if everybody
buys a light, bulb that's still not enough money to
build the. Grid, right there is this chicken and egg,
problem which is you need the money first to build
the infrastructure so that people will buy the light.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
Bulb and this is what finance was invented for large
amounts of, money capital that can be invested for a future.
Outcome So edison wants to build his grid In Lower, manhattan,
right this is the densest area of The United states
at this. Point wants to dig up the streets and lay,
wires build these giant dynamos to generate electricity for, everyone
(07:07):
and the cost at the time just must have been.
Enormous but fortunately For, edison he knows a very rich,
person a financier whose office is right in the middle
of where the grid is, going not a, coincidence and
he's a massing power on this scale never before seen
in The United states Of. America this MAN Jp, Morgan oh,
Man i'm just gonna do a big reveal, It John Pierrepont,
(07:29):
MORGAN i was gonna do it in that, Voice, Okay,
YEAH Jp, morgan banker who created Modern american. Economy right
at the, Time america didn't have a central, bank AND
Jp morgan sort of acted as This he was this,
conduit the center of the spokes of all the money
and power in The United. States it went THROUGH Jp,
morgan AND Jp, morgan like billionaires, everywhere loved to be
(07:54):
the first to get a new. Technology and he loved
the electric. Light there's this story actually HE Jp morgan
had this mansion right in the middle Of, manhattan Of Midtown,
manhattan essentially right and he wanted to have, lights these
new electric. Lights but there wasn't a grid at the.
Time and just to go back a little, bit electric
(08:15):
generators had been around for a, while you, know probably
fifty years at this, Point Michael. Faraday and you, know
it's a way a mortar goes and it moves a
magnet next to a wire and it creates electric, current
but has to be very close to the electric. Light
so in order to get electric lights in his, mansion
he had to also have a. Generator and this meant
(08:35):
he had to hire somebody to run the. Generator and
this person would come at three o'clock in the, afternoon
rank up or however they started the, generator the lights
would go on in the. House AND i just picture
eight nine, o'clock this single glowing house in the middle Of.
Manhattan everyone else has the flickering gas, lights but you've
got this bright electric light in the middle Of. Manhattan
(08:57):
and then at eleven o'clock and she was, like, yeah
turn it off the, engine turn it off and goes,
home like this was such a pain in the ass
that only the richest man In america could have this
kind of.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
System.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Right in, fact at one POINT i guess he wired
up some of the light MPs on his. Desk if
someone did it for, him and it started a fire
and they put out the fire and they're, LIKE i don't,
know this is kind of, weird like for you to
have this dangerous technology like running through your. Home and he's, like,
eh it's.
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Fine So morgan becomes the key backer Of Thomas edison
and his dream of building a, grid And morgan gets
the money.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Together that's what he.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Does he finances this essential, infrastructure And edison makes it.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
Happen you, know.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
His team digs up the streets all around The Lower.
Manhattan they put the wires. In edison builds this power
station On Pearl, street and, amazingly the whole thing from
like the time he gets the idea until it's ready
to go is four, years which, like what could you
build In New york? Today had four?
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Years we used to build things in this. Country it's,
True it's.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
True, Okay So september, fourth eighteen eighty, two we are.
Ready edison is ready to turn on the. Power tell
me there's one of those giant, switches you, know LIKE
i think there is a jump. Switch. Yeah, interestingly, Interestingly
edison is not the man to pull. It in, fact
(10:21):
he's not even at this power station that he has.
Built he's a few blocks away the office Of, morgan.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Right the real power.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Situation, Right, yeah So edison is At morgan's office On Wall.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Street the power' is supposed to go on at three
in the.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Afternoon you, know there's light bulbs screwed into sockets all
around the, office and you, know there's all these fancy
people standing there waiting for the lights to go, on
and it's almost three and nobody's ever done this, before
so it's not even clear if it's going to. Work,
Right they're standing there thinking are the lights going to
go on in a minute or? Not and a guy
goes one hundred dollars says they don't go, on, schmuck
(11:00):
And edison goes. Taken and then the lights go. On,
whoo it, works gets this hundred bucks and they go,
on you.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Know around the.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Neighborhood they go on around this, neighborhood around the power.
Station but it's not like all Of, manhattan, Right this
power plant is big enough to light up like a.
Mile it's not even a square mile at the, beginning
but that's about the limit of. It and this is
really important because it's not just because this is like.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
A prototype or.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Something it's inherent to the technology That edison is, using and,
specifically specifically he's generating direct current OR dc. Power and
for sort of basic, reasons you couldn't SEND dc power
much more than a mile from from where it was.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Generated, now of, course at this point we could, say,
oh it's we don't want to get the whole COMPLICATED
ac VERSUS dc. Two we do want to SO dc
direct CURRENT i like to think of as blowing air
through a, straw. Right electrons are moving through a wire
in a straight, line, Essentially and anyone who's been a
kid has probably built something with a little little light
(12:03):
bulb and two wires and a battery that is a
direct current and battery battery is direct.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Current today when you have a battery that is sending direct.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
Current but there is a different kind of power called
alternating CURRENT. Ac and this is kind of a genius, move.
Right you want electrons to move in the. Wire that's
what creates the, work but nothing says it has to
go in one particular. Direction it works if you send
the electrons in the opposite, direction or it works if
the electrons kind of go back and. Forth that's the alternating,
(12:35):
hoo it does just as much. WORK i saw something
on the, internet AND i love this idea of a.
Saw like a saw does not go in one. Direction
a saw goes back and. Forth but if you do it,
enough you can saw through a. Log, Right so we
have the there through the straw of the direct current
and the saw the alternating. Current, sure and there's one
quality OF ac that is going to be essential, here
(12:57):
and that is this thing we're talking about about the.
Distance so in the nature OF, ac you can basically
run it at really high, voltages like really high dangerous.
Voltages and the way it works is you could send
those vultage is over wires for, miles hundreds of miles,
really and then you use something called a transformer to
step that power down to something. Useful but those transmission,
(13:21):
lines the one you see all over the country, now
like the transmission line is the key. Here they run
an alternating. Current they can go for amazing, distances and
so then you have this trade, off right like, like, well,
okay high, power high, voltage really, dangerous THAT'S. Ac but
it goes a long, way or you could go a
(13:43):
shorter distance at a lower. Voltage it's much. Safer And Thomas,
EDISON i don't, know maybe because he's a good, guy
or maybe because he just thinks he can build millions
of power, stations you, know local power. Stations Thinks i'm
gonna go WITH. Dc it is the safe and reasonable
thing to do. Here not everybody makes that choice.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Though right In europe in, particular they start experimenting WITH
ac systems pretty. Early and this industrialist in THE us
Named Jorge Orge westinghouse sees. This, right he reads the,
journals he keeps up with, technology And westinghouse is going
to become the acy guy In. America and Westing house is.
INTERESTING i didn't really know about him before.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
This had his name on appliances on a famous science. Prize,
yes that's That.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Westinghouse so he was, like he's kind of like a
second tier, industrialist, Right like he's not like A vanderbilt
or A. Carnegie but he was a big. Deal then
invented an air brake for trains that was his first.
Thing has a company In, pittsburgh and like seems, like
at least as far as sort of robber barons, go
seems like a decent guy and gave Workers saturday afternoons
off as well As sunday and a nine hour, day
(14:49):
which at the time was like pretty. Good he hired
women as engineers when basically nobody else.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Did and so in eighteen.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Eighty, five which is three years After edison turned on
the power In, Manhattan westinghouse buys THE us rights to
THIS ac system that they've been working on In, europe.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And he knows what is now sort of this fundamental canon,
business which is just because you're first doesn't mean you're
going to. Win like you see the power That edison
had and you're, like, WELL i think there's a better.
System they can Beat. Edison now That edison is sort
of demonstrated that a grid is, possible let me show
you what a giant grid would look. Like, yeah SO
ac has this advantage giant.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Grid it does still have one disadvantage That westinghouse is
acutely aware, of and that is. Motors, Right like we
start with the light. Bulb but as we were saying
at the, beginning like electricity is going to be this
transformative what's the Word i'm looking, For.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Like you MEAN gpt general purpose TECHNOLOGY.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Q electricity is going to be this general purpose technology like, Computers,
right it's going to be this thing that changes, everything
and people are starting to realize, that and in particular
they're realizing that electric motors are going to be a
huge deal for. Industry you, know the steam engine at
this point is like one hundred years old or, so the,
useful widely applied steam, engine, right it was the driver
(16:12):
of the industrial revolution that allowed people to make better,
factories more widely distributed at powered trains and. Boats and
so now you, see, oh the motor's going to be even.
Better the electric motor is smaller than a steam, engine
it's more, efficient you can put it around the factory
wherever you need. It but at this point in the eighteen,
eighties there ARE dc, motors but there are no sort
(16:35):
of practical EFFICIENT ac. Motors And westinghouse KNOWS ac is
not going to BEAT dc without a. Motor fortunately For,
westinghouse he's about to meet one of the great electrical
geniuses of the.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Age really of any. Age you're going to save it
till after the, break we should say it, Now Nikola,
tesla man who went to work For edison and then
quit after the.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
Break Robert, Smith let's tell me About Nikola.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Tesla Nikola tesla beloved by nerds, everywhere classic serbian. Weirdo
such a weird, guy, poet, genius and he comes into this.
Story you have the little Frumpy Thomas. Edison you, know
he loved to dress in country where you, know lived
out there In farmville In New. Jersey you, know just
(17:51):
a Classic american good. Guy and into this picture good
Comes Nikola, tesla six foot, two gray blue, eyes beautiful,
mustache and he had these weird personality. Traits for, instance
he loved the number. Three he felt like the number
three was mystical in some, way so before he'd go
(18:11):
into a, building he'd have to walk around it three. Times.
Okay so he fell in love with electricity as a.
Toddler so the story goes when he was petting his
cat in the evening and he saw these bright sparks
going between his hand and the cat right and his mom, says,
hey stop playing with the, cat you'll start a. Fire
And tesla, thinks electricity fire is nature a giant cat
(18:38):
and if, so who strokes its, back it can only Be.
GOD i love him so. Much so he grows up
studies electricity In budapest and one day he's walking in
the park with a, friend and he has this inspiration
and he picks up a, stick and in the dirt
he draws the solution to the big, problem AN ac,
(18:58):
motor a, beautiful EFFICIENT ac, motor like a True eureka,
Moment And tesla says to his, friend no more will
men be slaves to hard. Tasks my motor will set them,
free will do the work of the.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
World it's one of those lines that if it was somebody,
ELSE i wouldn't believe that the guy said. It BUT
i feel Like tesla is totally the guy who says.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
THAT i think he speaks in complete cryptic poetic.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
SENTENCES i bet he said that all the time about his.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
Inventions, yeah it just happens to be the one that's,
true right every time you op it's a. Door he, goes,
now men will no longer be slaves the hard. Tasks
men will no longer have to open. Doors so he
makes it to THE us and he does what anyone
would do in this. Situation he goes to work For.
Edison he's, Like edison's the, guy, Right But edison is
not interested In TESLA'S ac motor Because edison has already
(19:45):
made his mental decision that he is A dc. Man
So tesla, quits gets a little, funding gets a patent
on HIS ac, motor and pretty soon who comes knocking
At tesla's. Door George. Westinghouse So George. Westinghouse remember he's
seen THE ac In. Europe he thinks that this is
going to be the. Answer so he Pays tesla seventy
(20:07):
thousand dollars in cash what enormous amount at the, time,
right and royalties on every Future tesla. Motor they're already
calling It tesla. Motor The westinghouse sells And Nikola. Tesla
you know he carefully saves and invests at seventy thousand
dollars in. Cash, no he does. Not he is A
serbian poet. Genius he starts to spend. It. Right he
(20:29):
moves into The Waldorf, astoria the fanciest hotel In New
york at the. Time he wears tailored. Suits he eats
dinner every night At. DELMONICO'S i think it's like precisely
at eight. Ten why nobody knows he has eighteen napkins
delivered to. HIM a little bit of a. Germophobe was
eighteen's divisible by, three and he becomes this, celebrity, right
(20:50):
people Like Mark twain come to hang out In tesla's
lab just to watch the electricity, fly the lightning bolts
across the. Room, meanwhile across The Hudson river In.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
New, jersey Boring, edison our main character come.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
On, okay huge history.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Of business and, technology and he is seeing his lead.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Diminish.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Right he was first in the world with the, grid
with HIS dc, grid but Now westinghouse AND Ac power
are catching. Up and there's this interesting, question, right, like
Is edison only TEAM dc because that's what his patents,
are you, know, strongest and that's where he.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Started or does he really believe THAT ac is?
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Dangerous AND i think he really BELIEVED ac is. Dangerous
now maybe it's motivated, reasoning, Right, no.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
BUT i THINK i think because he sees farther than most.
PEOPLE i think that what he saw was these wires
will go into every, home every, business under every. Street
it will be on every street, corner. Huh and so
he could probably see that, like this will be the
technology that people will directly interact, with and why not
(22:00):
make it?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Safe and it is the case around this time that
there are these instances, where, like you, know a kid
will accidentally touch a down TO ac wire and die
like that happens, routinely and in, fact a given, VOLTAGE
ac is more dangerous THAN dc in part kind of
amazingly because the nature OF ac and the human body
(22:20):
is such that if you, accidentally like grab AN ac,
wire something about the alternating current can like freeze your
muscles so that you cannot let go and you just
hold it until you. Die So edison feels like he
needs to tell the world about the dangers of alternating,
current and he starts to attack not JUST ac But.
(22:43):
Westinghouse it starts In february of eighteen eighty. Eight he
publishes a booklet first.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Shot in The war of The.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Currents the booklet is CALLED A warning from The Edison
Electric Light, company.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
Eighty eight pages.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Long eighty eight page is long a, novella let's, say
and it lays out all the REASONS ac is, bad like,
yes the, danger but Also edison says he owns all
the relevant patents and so look, Out i'm gonna shut you.
Down and also he points out that Still westinghouse hasn't
figured out how to reliably produce AN ac, motor like
he's you, know working on Producing tesla's. Idea but it's
(23:18):
still in.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Progress but the booklet is just the. Beginning and Imagine,
edison you, know he sees the. Dangers he fears that
he is, losing and so he starts TO i would,
say go too, far. Right he secretly sponsors a guy
who does these public displays that goes to you, know college,
campuses you, know as a public service announcement about DEADLY ac.
(23:40):
Power Harold brown is his, Name and he gets up
on the stage and he reads a paper about the
virtues OF dc and the dangers OF. Ac but all
the time he's, reading the audience can see there is
a dog cowering in a wooden. Crate one time it
was a seventy six Pound, newfoundland, right so like this
(24:01):
is why people have. Gathered at one, Point brown turns
his attention to the. Dog to The, newfoundland he hooks
wires to its back legs and front, paws and he
starts delivering jolts OF ace and THEN dc power back and.
Forth and then Eventually brown administers a deadly jolt OF
ac and dog, dies proving he says to the crowd
(24:23):
that you, KNOW ac is more Deadly in, Secret Apparently
edison Let brown like do experiments on, dogs offering a
reward for people to bring stray dogs to. Execute you.
Know it was drawing, crowds but it wasn't quite. Working
so they start to use ac to electrocute calves horses
just to show, you, like this is so. Dangerous it
(24:43):
can take down an animal larger than a.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Human and then they go from animals to. People what
happens is the state Of New. York someone in the
state government Of New york decides that the state needs
to modernize the way it executes convicted. Criminals they'd been
using hanging death by, hanging which apparently goes wrong more
(25:06):
THAN i. Thought it's harder to hang people THAN i.
Thought and so somebody, thinks, oh, well, electricity that's this,
new you, know high tech. Thing maybe that will work.
Better and so somebody writes To, edison you, know the
wizard Of Mello, park the expert on, electricity and says
should we use electricity for state? Executions and Initially edison, SAYS.
Speaker 1 (25:30):
I oppose capital.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Punishment don't bother me about, this let me go andvent.
Things but then he thinks about it some, more and
he gets back to, him and he, says, yes electricity could.
Work oh and by the, way it should definitely be alternating.
Current and he even writes a letter where he says
state should buy generators that are quote alternating machines manufactured
(25:56):
principally in this country By George westinghouse.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Says it by. NAME i can't believe, it and it
does make me sad BECAUSE i Know edison is the
hero of the, story as he is for this whole,
series and generally so far we've seen him make i would,
say pretty moral decisions about his, technology, Right AND i
mean that's his whole, vibe LIKE i am bringing magic
to the world to make every one better. Off and
(26:22):
this is one of those instances where maybe he's talked
himself into it that this is the right thing to.
Do maybe he thinks THAT i can't bully my way
out of this with lawyers and. Patents but this is
the first Time i've seen him really go after a
competitor in a way that is.
Speaker 2 (26:40):
Vicious it's, bad, Right it's. Bad New york Takes edison's.
Advice of, Course westinghouse isn't going to sell The state
Of New york, generators but they actually buy Used westinghouse,
generators and they build a few electric, chairs the first electric.
Chairs and On march twenty ninth of eighteen eighty, nine
(27:01):
a man Named William, kemmler Who The New York times
calls an alcoholic vegetable peddler in the slums Of. Buffalo
he wakes up from a drinking, binge starts arguing with his,
Girlfriend Matilda, ziggler accuses her of cheating on, him and,
then according to The, times when the argument reached a,
(27:21):
Peak kemler calmly went to the, barn grabbed a hatchet
and returned to the house and he Killed Matilda giggler
with the. Hatchet it's pretty.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Clear he did. It he says he did.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It there's a lot of evidence that he did, it
and he's convicted and he's sentenced to, death and he's
on his way to being the first person ever executed
by the state with. Electricity in, fact somebody invents the
word electrocution right around this. Time but of Course westinghouse
doesn't want this to. Happen he doesn't want his machines
(27:54):
killing a man in this very public, way and So
westinghouse hires a. Lawyer this really famous lawyer to Defend
kemler to argue in particular that killing someone in the
electric chair is cruel and unusual. Punishment by the, way
the electric chair was actually invented by a by A
New york dentist who happened to be a, quicker and
(28:15):
he had seen someone accidentally touch a generator and be instantly,
killed and he, thought, oh this would be a more
humane alternative to. Hanging so, anyway On july twenty, third
eighteen eighty, Nine edison is called to testify in this
case over whether killing someone in an electric chair is
cruel and unusual. Punishment, edison AS i mentioned in the previous,
(28:40):
episode is largely. Deaf he goes into testify and the
lawyer basically has to like yell Into edison's good year
So edison can hear the. Question The New York times
said you could hear it from the, street though maybe
that's poetic.
Speaker 1 (28:50):
License here we have the transcript. Here the lawyer, SAYS
i went to the yelling. Part do you believe that
an artificial current can be produced which will cause death
instantly and painlessly when scientifically? Applied And edison, says that
is my firm belief his. Exchange his testimony runs in
The New York, times the headline testimony of The, wizard
(29:14):
and then the subhead, says he is positive that an
alternating current of one thousand volts would surely kill a.
Man can't buy that kind of. Publicity you Anti.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
Edison tried to buy, it but in this case they
didn't have to buy. It and in, Fact kemler loses the.
Case the judge says the state can execute him in
the electric.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Chair and so the day.
Speaker 2 (29:35):
Comes It's august, sixth eighteen. Ninety kemler gets woken up
at five, am puts on a suit as a black
and white check bow. Tie they shave part of his
head so that they can put an electrode, there you,
know to make contact with the. Skin at the last,
minute actually the worden has to cut Through kemmler's like
shirt tail so that their electrode can make contact with his.
(29:57):
Back And kemler seems. Collected the warden seems. Nervous, actually
the warden seems kind of, shaky But kemler's. Collected kemler
actually says to the, warden take your, time do it,
right and the warden attaches the electrodes Straps kemler's arms
to the. Chair he actually puts this sort of leather
mask On kemler's face that straps his head back into the.
(30:21):
Chair and then the warden says Goodbye, william which is the.
Signal it's the signal for someone to turn on the
power to the, chair and they do. That they turn
on the. Power kemler's body goes, rigid just like a bronze,
statue somebody, Said and they leave the power on for seventeen,
seconds and there's a doctor standing right there monitoring, it
(30:44):
and he says he's. Dead that's, enough and they turn
off the power and power goes, off and then they
look At kemmler and they see that he's still. Breathing
oh he's not. Dead people start. Screaming someone. Faints so
they turn on the power, again and this time they
leave it, on not for seventeen, seconds but for several.
Minutes it Burns kemler's. Flesh you can smell. It apparently
(31:07):
in the. Room his clothes catch on fire and somebody
puts it, out and then finally they turn off the,
power and this Time kemeler is. Dead and that dentist
who invented the electric chair. Was in, fact one of
the witnesses was in the room at the, time and
after it was, over what he said, was, quote we
(31:29):
live in a higher civilization from this.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
Day business history will be back in a.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
Moment that is the end of the. Ads and now
(32:01):
we're going back to the. Show kemmler has been, executed
and in fact his death is on the front page
of newspapers around the, country all talking about how horrible it.
Was but the news doesn't have the effect on public
opinion That edison frankly hoped it. Would. Right everybody doesn't suddenly, say,
(32:22):
oh we can't HAVE ac, power it's obviously too. Dangerous
they basically just, said oh, yeah do not strap me
into a chair and run a thousand volts OF ac
power through my.
Speaker 1 (32:31):
Body and you, know in, fact the key audience here.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
Is not the mass, public, right it's the government officials
who are the ones deciding what kind of of power,
plant what kind of power system to.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Buy, yeah and you don't want to have to build
A dc power plant every six or seven, blocks like you, Think,
WELL i can just put one big power plants and
the high power transmission lines out and we'll put safety
measures in. Effect so it kind of makes sense that
if you're thinking of it that, way you are going
to go with the more efficient.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
Option and the last big moment in the, fight how
is It Niagara? Falls, actually by, way how many a's
are there At? Niagara?
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Three? Two It's? Niagara, OKAY i didn't.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
KNOW i kept spelling it, wrong AND i get the
little line In google docs It's. Niagara so the final
moment in the in The war of the, currents it
happens At Niagra. Falls because you, know they're like these
businessmen and bankers looking at this beautiful falls and, thinking
look at all that kinetic. Energy we could definitely spend some. Turbises, yeah,
(33:40):
Right so they decide they're going to build what is by,
far by, far the biggest power plant in the. World
and so when they're making the, decision LIKE dc is
still a, Possibility, Actually Lord telvin Of absolute Zero phase,
says go.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
WITH, dc but they go WITH.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
A see they Use westinghouse, generators and it is really
striking what happens. There as soon as this is. Happening
as this is, happening big power intensive companies see that
it's happening and start moving their operations to be next
To Niagara, falls essentially like a striking one is The
Aluminum company Of america Al CoA Akal CoA takes a
(34:19):
ton of electricity right, still right, still where aluminum plants
are around the world is where there is cheap electric,
power because that is the big expensive, input, right and
so cheap abundant power From Niagara falls and places like
it is truly what allows, aluminum for, example to become
this cheap, abundant essential twentieth century. Material you, know soda,
(34:42):
cans aluminum, siding, airplanes right this you need cheap electricity
to get. This and like go back to the beginning
of the, show right WHEN i was SAYING i don't
care about the light, BULB i care about the. Grid
this is What i'm talking, about, Right like what matters
is the. Grid what matters is, cheap, reliable abundant electric.
(35:03):
Power this is the Second Industrial. Revolution this is the
great transformation that creates the twentieth. Century and, like go even, bigger,
Right like human material progress for all time foundationally rests
on harnessing. Energy like you can go all the way
back to, fire the first big, one, right and then
(35:24):
you can go to The Industrial, revolution, right basically coal
and the steam engine are the bedrock of. It and
then now you have, electricity this next huge step function
in human material well.
Speaker 1 (35:37):
Being and you can see because of the aluminum, plant
how cheap electricity makes aluminum, cheaper which makes cans cheaper
and eventually airplanes cheaper and all the things you build
out of. Aluminum you can see that fundamental efficiency travel
through the entire industrial.
Speaker 2 (35:55):
System yes, everything, right all factories are going to switch
from steam power to electricity because it's. Better and it takes,
decades you see, it like well into the twentieth, century
you're still seeing productivity.
Speaker 1 (36:08):
Gains that are the result of.
Speaker 2 (36:10):
Electricity and now so we Have, edison, right this is
a story About, edison and he plays a super interesting
role in this, story, Right, like on the one, hand
he is the guy for, electricity builds the first real,
grid makes the, breakthrough makes it happen, fast and gets the.
Money but also right after that he bets wrong in
(36:33):
what like, frankly at least in, retrospect seems like a
pretty obvious, mistake Right, like he bets ON dc when
ac it seems clearly like it was the better.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
Pick it's interesting one of the THINGS i love about
business history is that there's so much logic and numbers
in the whole, Thing but then there's always a moment
where ego steps, in AND i do think there, Is
like this is a man who has not fubbled the
ball for most of his, career mistakes the. Phonograph, yeah
but like he's like he's, famous you, know the most,
(37:07):
famous the most, famous and he's getting used to using
that fame to get exactly what he, wants and he
just steps one step too. Far, Yeah like he's too, attached,
Right like he was too in love with his original.
Speaker 2 (37:21):
Idea and it is, Amazing Like edison was just so
focused ON dc Literally tesla was working for. Him tesla
had the idea for THE ac, motor like it was right,
there But edison couldn't let go of his original. Idea
and this is like a classic business. STORY i couldn't
think of a like of a perfect. ANALOGY i, mean
(37:41):
like kind of Like sony With Beta, max which came BEFORE,
vhs but not. EXACTLY i mean one that's really, fun
if not exactly the, same but THAT i, like did
you know that in the year two, Thousand Blockbuster video
had the chance to Buy netflix for fifty million.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Dollars, oh could have SENT vhs tapes to the.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
Mail, yeah, right so right at that, Time netflix was
DVDs by mail And blockbuster was, like that's some, weirdo
niche business for. Cinephiles you've got thousand video, stores we
make all this money on late.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Fees we're not gonna do.
Speaker 2 (38:15):
It and it's easy to mock in retrospect when people
make these kind of. Mistakes but, like if You're, edison
to go back To edison, right in a, Way edison
maybe had to be so attached to his, idea, Right,
like think of what he's deciding to, do, right he's,
thinking not only AM i gonna perfect the light bulb
in a world where people have been working on it
for decades and haven't done, It i'm gonna build the
(38:37):
world's first grid when that doesn't. Exist i'm gonna dig
Up manhattan And i'm gonna do it in four.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Years.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Right so maybe to be that audacious you have to
be so full of confidence that you don't have any.
Doubt you know that you stick to beliefs even when you're.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Wrong when you have an invention and you're out there
competing on what's the best. Invention that's one. Thing but
when you're in one of these standards wars where you
realize there will only be one. Winner And edison was
probably familiar with, this you, know on the, railroad like
there has to be a certain width of the railroad, gauge,
right and like someone's going to win because it only
(39:15):
makes sense to have one. Winner and so you, know
we can debate his, reasons but it is logical to,
say if my confidence can make my standard, win Then
i'm going to show no doubt, whatsoever even when the
evidence is to the.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Contrary i'm going to be the winner who takes. All
so he didn't, win of, Course and in, fact even
before that power plant At niagara got, BUILT Jp, morgan you,
know the original guy who Made edison's power grid dream come.
TRUE Jp morgan saw saw which way the wind was.
BLOWING i thing he was good, at, right not a
(39:55):
man who got emotionally. Attached and he Merged edison's, Company
Edison General, electric with another company Called Thompson, houston which
was in THE ac. Business of, Course edison hated the, deal,
Right he didn't want to be in business with a
company that was DOING ac but he lost control Of
Edison General electric by that, point and in, fact after the,
(40:17):
Merger Edison General electric became known as Just General electric
GE ge And edison basically walked. Away but the one,
thing like we're gonna Leave edison, here but the one
THING i want to, Say and this is kind of
setting him up for the next time when we'll talk
About edison's final big. Triumph edison didn't look back like
(40:39):
he always, thought the next thing is gonna be even,
bigger and he thought that at this. Point he thought
that when he walked away From, Electricity and next time
we'll talk about what Was edison's last big, triumph which
was the, movies moving, pictures and specifically the Way edison
came to control the Entire american film industry despite the
(40:59):
fact that he did not invent the.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Movie, camera becoming his style right his. Style before we,
go we should talk about the end Of Nikola tesla's. Story,
tesla of, course was the man who could have Made
edison the ac. King we wouldn't be telling the story
in this. Case we would just be like he's a
genius all the way. Through edison too stubborn to. Listen
when we last Left. Tesla he had sold the rights
(41:21):
to HIS ac motor patent To George, westinghouse and he's
living the high life At delmonico's with his eighteen, napkins
hanging out With Mark. Twain and a key turning point
comes from a few years. Later it's eighteen ninety, one,
Right George westinghouse is in a little bit of financial.
Trouble he thinks he can. Win he thinks The tesla
motor still the, way but you, know cash, flow, right.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Financial crisis loves are getting called, in so he goes
to See, westinghouse goes to See tesla In New.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
York and, Remember tesla's supposed to get a royalty on
every SINGLE ac motor That westinghouse, sells but at this
point they're still perfecting. It And westinghouse says To, tesla
will you give up your royalties SO i can keep
control of my company and keep developing your, motor And,
tesla according to his, autobiography says To, westinghouse Mister, westinghouse
(42:11):
you will save your company so that you can develop my.
Inventions here is your contract and here's my. CONTRACT i
will tear both of them to, pieces and you will
no longer have any troubles from my, royalties and he
tears the contract up again.
Speaker 2 (42:24):
Because It's, TESLA i believe it legend right, right and.
Speaker 1 (42:32):
A huge, mistake a, terrible terrible, mistake Because tesla would
go on to come up with other. Ideas he was
apparently working on how to transmit electricity through the, air
like to basically take the next leap beyond the, grid
built this giant tower out On Long. Island. Right there
are stories about like did he, succeed like did it actually?
(42:54):
Happen but doesn't matter because the money wasn't, there, Right
none of his projects worked. Out he wasn't making. Money
he had to move out of The Waldorf astoria and
into a cheaper. Hotel Hotel New yorker still stands room
three two two seven not divisible by three et check.
Speaker 2 (43:10):
The last two numbers are that? Count he was he
was on such hard times that he couldn't even get
a room to.
Speaker 1 (43:15):
Visit he's, like do you have one two doors? Down
about one door down the other? Way there's a plaque
on the hotel room door to this. Day and in,
fact if you go to the basement of The New Yorker,
hotel you can see some of the personal effects that
he left in this.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
Room but you have done, Yes that's WHY i haven't
done this.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Now it's just like Nick knacks and pictures of him
because at the, time like he was still this famous
genius and even before a certain person would name his
company after, Him, tesla like there was This tesla. Cult
and to this day you can go See Tesla corner
Near Bryant park In. Manhattan you can see where his
(43:58):
lab was really close to, HERE i think In Midtown.
Manhattan you can go see his personal effects at The
New Yorker. Hotel there is still this like vibe of
this poet genius who could have who maybe could have
solved this next problem that wasn't. SOLVED i will say
that the last notable thing In tesla's life is a.
(44:20):
Pigeon it was a homing pigeon had a band on its,
leg But tesla had no idea where it came from
or who had owned. It and it would come to
visit him in his hotel room high Above manhattan on
The West, side and So tesla would start to feed
this pigeon and the bird would come and, go and
this became the Thing tesla was focused on at the,
(44:44):
end and, eventually like the, pigeon stopped coming. Back And
tesla told his, biographer when that pigeon, died something went
out of my. LIFE i. Know up to that, TIME
i knew with a certainty THAT i would complete my,
work no matter how ambitious my. Program but when that
something went out of my, LIFE i knew my life's
work was. Finished sad. Man it's a sad end For
(45:06):
jesus end and he died in nineteen forty, three poor
but not.
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Forgotten so that's the end of the show. TODAY i
would recommend this Book empires Of light By Jill, jones two,
ends which Was it's a great book all about this
war of the. Currents it was a key source for
the show. Today we'll be back next week with the
last episode in Our edison. Series that is the story
Of edison and the.
Speaker 1 (45:32):
Movies Bump, bump, bump bump bum at The. Muppets that's
my generic old timey. Ah our showrunner Is Ryan, dilly
our producer Is Gabriel Hunter, chang and our engineer Is Sarah.
Speaker 2 (45:46):
Bruguier I'm Jacob, Goldstein I'm Robert.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
Smith we'll be back next. Week with another episode Of Business.
Speaker 2 (45:51):
History a show about the history of Business Robert. Smith
as you, know there is nowhere In pushkin's office to
make a video to make a video, podcast which is.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Unfortunate we tried and it was described as two gray
men in a gray, box and reasonably so fortunately for.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Us in an amazing, coincidence literally down the hall From putin's,
office there is the showroom of a company Called Buzzy.
Space this is a company is where we're sitting right,
now and what they do is they design furniture and
acoustic solutions that Make i'm reading here workplace is more,
comfortable more, creative and more.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
FUN i would even say. Cozy their furniture is like
sort of curved and interesting, colors AND i guess keeps things.
Speaker 2 (46:36):
Quiet, yes, HONESTLY i wish our office was this. Showroom
you can find more.
Speaker 1 (46:41):
At buzzy Dot.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Space That's buzzi Dot. Space
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal: Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a brand new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack. And make sure to check out Seasons 1-4 of Betrayal, along with Betrayal Weekly Season 1.