Edison vs. Tesla | Work of the World
5/13/202641 min
In the spring of 1884, a little-known Serbian immigrant named Nikola Tesla arrived in America with little more than a letter of introduction to the most famous inventor in the world – Thomas Edison. Tesla went to work for Edison, impressing his new employer with his intelligence and work ethic. But the two men were too different, too stubborn, and too convinced of their own vision to coexist for long. Tesla would break away, determined to prove that his own approach to electricity – a system run on alternating current – was superior to everything Edison had built.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsLindsey Graham· Host0:00
Hello, American History Teller listeners. I have an exciting announcement. I'm going on tour and coming to a theater near you. This live show is a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music with a full band accompanying me as we look back to explore the days that made America, and they aren't the days that you might think. Sure, everyone knows July 4th, 1776. We'll be hearing a lot about that date this year. But there are many other days that are maybe even more influential. So come out to see me live. More shows to be announced soon. So for information on tickets and upcoming dates, go to americanhistorylive.com. That's americanhistorylive.com. Come see my Days That Made America Tour live on stage. Go to americanhistorylive.com. [drum roll] [suspenseful music] Imagine it's late November 1886 in Buffalo, New York. You're a local grain trader, and you usually work long hours managing your business. It's early evening now, and you should be still in your office reviewing the details of your latest shipments. But as darkness fell, you found yourself straining to see your account books in the dim gaslight, so you gave up. Instead, you've joined your friend from the city council to marvel at Buffalo's latest attraction, the newly electrified four-story department store on Main Street. You gape at the dazzling display of electric lights illuminating the inside of the building. "Well now, isn't that something? Sure makes a store look beautiful." "I'll