Edison vs Tesla: The War of the Currents

1138 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Similarities between thomas edison and nikolas tesla

Men of Power
In New York City during the late 1880’s, a fierce battle was raging between two great innovators of the age. The combatants, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, were fighting over the prize to power cities in the ever more industrial world. Thomas Edison championed his direct-current (DC) system whereas Nikola Tesla was proposing his system using alternating-current (AC). This “War of the Currents” ushered in the electrical age, from which our modern society arose. Just as the AC and DC electrical generating systems where diametrically opposed to each other; so were Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison.
Thomas Edison by all accounts was a reserved and withdrawn man (Ghose, Nikola Tesla vs Thomas Edison: Who was the better inventor?, livescience.com). …show more content…

He possessed a perfectly groomed moustache and mingled with high society in the fashion of the day. He kept friendships with society’s elite, Mark Twain was among those that Tesla kept company (Ghose, Nikola Tesla vs Thomas Edison: Who was the better inventor?, livescience.com). Today in a Serbian museum Tesla’s Top Hat and Tails are displayed; an image of the style the Serbian immigrant kept. Tesla is believed to have had obsessive compulsive disorder and lived as a bachelor throughout his life. After moving to New York city; he began work at Edison Electric under the direction of Thomas Edison. It was here that he first presented his revolutionary ideas regarded alternating current. After his concepts and designs were rejected by Edison, he left Edison Electric and found work digging trenches; ironically for the power lines for Edison’s power plants. He secured some investors after a well thought out presentation in which he made a metal egg spin on its long axis, as if magically being held there by an invisible hand (“Edison vs. Tesla” Genius, Season 1, episode 7, National Geographic, 2015, Netflix.com) He possessed a talent for vivid demonstrations that fed the imagination of those who witnessed. With the help of Westinghouse Electric, Tesla perfected his designed with only a few basic diagrams. He was able to recall precise mechanisms from memory and could visualize his inventions from conception to fruition. He was a true …show more content…

They stood in contrast intellectually, professionally, and personally. Telsa had a talent for invisioning the future whereas Edison represented more established and test principles. Edison’s patents still endure whereas many of Tesla’s inventions have been lost to history. Edison was quiet and disheveled. Tesla was outgoing and adorned in the style of the age. These two men will forever be intertwined in history. They are often the subject of heated debates among admires as to which had the greatest impact on the world. The differences between these two men led to a war of ideas and methods. A war that today we are thankful was fought, and raged by two of world’s greatest ever innovators. Each man’s weakness was the others strength, and through their relationship a corner stone in modern society was built. The vison of Nikola Tesla married to the Edison methods led to what we so easily enjoy today. With the flick of the wrist we take for granted the power these men passed on to us. Edison’s light bulb, powered by Tesla’s AC electricity, a fitting tribute to two great

Show More
Related

  • Nikola Tesla Research Paper

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer and physicist. He was also considered an eccentric genius and recluse. Tesla is best known for his feud with Thomas Edison over AC power Versus DC Power. He was also well known for inventing the Tesla Coil which is still used in radio technology today. Nikola Tesla was mostly forgotten until the 1990’s when there was a resurgence of interest in popular culture.

    Read More

  • History's Forgotten Genius

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tesla’s career as an inventor started when he was in his late twenties. He displayed his incredible understanding of electricity and physics when he created his first invention, the induction motor. The induction motor is a small, electric motor that has become a very useful machine. In fact, most household appliances run using Tesla’s induction motor (Vujovic 1). Score one for Tesla. Soon after he invented the induction motor, Tesla moved to America to try his luck at living the American dream. While in New York City, Tesla got the amazing opportunity to work for his hero, Thomas Edison. However, Tesla soon quit working for Edison due to some disagreements between the two inventors. And so with Edison and his men biting at Tesla’s heels, Nikola set out on his own to make a name for himself (Vujovic 1). Tesla soon became Edison’s greatest competitor. While tinkering in his lab with one of his inventions called the Tesla Coil, Tesla discovered that he could send and receive radio signals when his coils were tuned to the exact same frequency...

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla's Accomplishments

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    As James Levine is famous for saying, “I was lucky that I met the right mentors and teachers at the right moment.” To me, one of the greatest mentors of innovative scientific history was Nikola Tesla. That being said, if given the opportunity to spend the next year of my life in a different time period I would like to live during the year 1942 so I could work beside Tesla. This was the year before Tesla died, a time when he had experienced the full scope of his expertise and could impart that wisdom to me. My questions about his popularity would be answered in full. Questions about Tesla’s integrity could lead to the answer to the legendary disputes about what was rightfully his. Legends about genius inventions that could only be imagined

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla and His Inventions

    1320 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Earth is not a piece of quartz - it’s like a stone with many imperfections and scratches, and though it retains its scratches, it attempts to heal them; it bandages its wounds. To heal a wound, though, it must be first isolated: and in the case of the world, it is literal flaw that resides with the mask of a wound - combated, though not incapacitated, by the innovators of the Earth. A telephone, refrigerator, microwave, civil rights and gender equality - not only technology, but even a concept as imperative as liberation or equality have altered the globe (as humans see it), for the better: technology has made life easier for humans, ideal rights and equality have been gifted to those that require it, and efforts have been exclaimed in order to protect the natural amenities that are taken for granted. The reason adhered to by the innovators, dedicated to creating the aforesaid circumstances, is rather simple: they endeavor as they do because of the profit that befits not only themselves, but the world in doing so. When Alexander Graham Bell and Antonio Meucci developed the telephone, they distributed communication among the masses (a profit), and thereby changed the globe for the better; that same reason is reflected throughout the ages: Percy Spencer, inventor of the microwave, gained favorable avail via his invention for not only himself, but the Earth as well. Thus, the innovators of the world retain that reason: they change things for the better because of the positive benefit that would befit doing so - the positive benefit for not only themselves, but the world. Nikola Tesla, one of those innovators, arguably fathomed that reason more than anyone. “Born on July 9, 1856, in Smijan, Croatia, Tesla was the child of a clergy...

    Read More

  • Thomas Alva Edison: The Inventions Of Thomas Edison's Life

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on February 11, 1847. He spent a few years of his life in Milan, but when he turned seven him and his family moved to Michigan. Thomas Edison's parents are Samuel Ogden Edison Jr. and Nancy Matthews Elliott. His mother was a former teacher and his dad was a shopkeeper. Edison was the youngest out of seven children. Edison attended school for a short period of time but later became home schooled. Being homeschooled allowed Edison to do more things like experimenting in his basement, crate his habit of reading and make his own newspapers. At a young age Thomas Edison started developing problems with his hearing which was caused by untreated middle-ear infections and scarlet fever he received in his childhood.

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla And Brilliance

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nikola Tesla is a man that many individuals associate with brilliance. Moreover, Tesla is a name that ignites impulses within an individual’s brain which illuminate, via bio-circuitry, the thought association of Tesla and brilliance, similar to the force we term as electricity. Brilliance however, shouldn’t be the only descriptive word to come to mind when thinking of one of the greatest engineers and inventors to live. Innovation and determination should be undoubtedly included in the list of descriptive words of Mr. Nikola Tesla. For without the innovative mind of Tesla, midcentury inventions as well as current technological advances would be nonexistent, or worse, credited to Thomas Edison.

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Light

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thomas Alva Edison lived one of the most constructive live of any American ever born. According to (“Thomas Alva Edison Biography”) He held over 1,000 patents on inventions he created or claimed he created.

    Read More

  • What Was The Impact Of Thomas Edison's Life Before The 1900s

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper will be an effort to explain about Thomas Alva Edison and his life before the 1900s. Thomas Edison was an American inventor, he was considered the most prolific inventor in American history and one of America’s leading businessmen who came from humble beginnings to work as an inventor of major technology. He was also giving public recognition as a participant in the production of helping build America’s economy during the nation’s vulnerable early years. Thomas Edison was born on February 11th, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. He was the last and youngest out of seven children of Samuel Edison Jr., an exiled political activist, and Nancy Elliott Edison, an accomplished school teacher. When he was seven years old he suffered from scarlet fever

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison Essay

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    All throughout American history there has many intelligent individuals that have played significant role in our society. I believe Thomas Edison has been one of the most influential people. He was an American inventor who is considered one of America’s leading businessman. People today credit him for helping to build America’s economy during the nation’s vulnerable early years. Thomas had a very good childhood and was a very hard worker as a teenager. He invented the universal stock printer and he perfected the lightbulb.

    Read More

  • Thomas Alva Edison: The Man of a Thousand Inventions

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomas Alva Edison was considered one of the greatest inventors and industrial leader. He had over 1000 inventions but none greater then his ability to develop a system that would provide people with a wide safe stable and efficient light and power. This also lead to other countries such as Europe and South America to follow this wonderful invention that modernized the world forever.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Tesla And Thomas Edison

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people thought more about Thomas Edison than Nikola Tesla, but why? Because Thomas Edison was better known because his inventions got out to the world quicker than Tesla and Thomas also had more inventions than Tesla, also because Edison did a lot of work with the light bulb. Although they both had a big part in controlling electricity one was for Alternating Current electricity and one for Direct Current. Nikola Tesla was against Direct Current and left with Alternating Current and Edison was for DC and so Nikola and Thomas were up against eatchother to see which one was a much better use. Thomas Edison Thomas Edison’s full name was Thomas Alva Edison; He lived from February 11th, 1847 to October 18th, 1931.

    Read More

  • Thomas Edison

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    Thomas (Alva) Edison was one of America’s most important and famous inventors. Edison was born into a time and place where there wasn’t much technological advancements. His inventions helped a lot of things quickly change in the world. His inventions contributed to many inventions today such as the night light, movies, telephones, and records and CDs.

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla Research Paper

    1615 Words  | 4 Pages

    When two great minds clash, the entire world takes notice. Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla are both known for their ingenious brilliance, their innovation, and their impact on the electrical industry, and although they are both well-known inventors in their own right, the main event that brought their fame to its peak was the “War of

    Read More

  • Invention, Innovation, and Interdependence

    1665 Words  | 4 Pages

    Thomas Edison is widely regarded as one of the most influential inventors and innovators of the Twentieth Century. Edison’s efforts ushered in a new era of technology; a world in which electricity would be harnessed and made to bow before man’s will. Walter Lippman wrote, “It is impossible to measure the importance of Edison by adding up the specific inventions with which his name is associated” (qtd. in Baldwin 409). Edison’s decades long career was a synergistic melding of his success as an inventor and his prowess as a promoter and businessman. He exemplified the ideals of intelligence married to hard work and perseverance. He forever changed the landscape of American invention and the limits of technological change (Baldwin 409).

    Read More

  • Nikola Tesla

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nikola tesla was a brilliant scientist and researcher, eager to discover new things. He was unwilling to accept that something could not be done, and his career was filled with examples of his discoveries that did just that.

    Read More

More about Edison vs Tesla: The War of the Currents

Open Document