A Brief History
On January 4, 1903, Thomas Edison’s company filmed the execution of Topsy the Elephant, the largest purported casualty in the “War of the Currents”! The big argument over whether to use alternating current as championed by Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse or direct current as championed by Thomas Edison had already been decided in favor of alternating current a decade before Topsy became an afterthought and legend of the Current Wars.
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find Edison, the most prolific inventor of all time (electric light, phonograph, motion pictures, etc.) had been engaged in a bitter struggle with rival inventor and entrepreneur George Westinghouse over how the United States would be serviced with electricity.
Edison favored direct current (DC) and Westinghouse favored alternating current (AC). Each system had advantages, and Edison’s initial use of DC was the most logical choice at first, but advancements in AC transformers clearly made AC the more practical system.
The decisive advantage of AC was the ability to transport electricity across long distances at high voltage and then use step down transformers to send lower voltage electricity into houses or factories. The DC system required that power plants be located within 1 mile of the customer, a totally impractical proposition.
So why did Edison persist in pushing so hard for a DC-based electric grid? And by pushing hard, we mean secretly being behind the development of the electric chair to “prove” how dangerous AC current is and distributing images of various animals being electrocuted by AC current. Indeed, with good reason, Edison, although a genius, has been declared a “shockingly” horrible person!
Edison so desperately advocated DC current for one reason: Money! He held many patents for DC electrical devices and was heavily invested in its widespread use. He stood to gain millions of dollars if DC was the accepted system, and conversely he stood to lose millions if AC was adopted.
Edison even tried a smear campaign, and tried to “invent” the word “Westinghoused” to mean electrocuted. Topsy, a circus elephant that had killed 3 people and was “condemned” to die by execution and the circumstances of her death later became an apocryphal legend of the Current Wars, though a false one. The question of electrical transmission had long been decided, and Edison was not involved in the eventual killing of the rogue elephant, but in popular culture the legend developed that Edison had engineered the execution of Topsy as a demonstration of the dangers of alternating current.
This sad event has been used in an incredible number of films, music videos, books and even TV cartoons! Perhaps the most cracked thing of all about this incident was that the executioners ensured that poor Topsy was given a large dose of cyanide poison prior to the electrocution!
#/media/File:Topsy_elephant_electrocution_Luna_Park,_Coney_Island_January_1903.png)
Did we mention Topsy was originally going to be hanged? The plan evolved into a scheme to use an electric winch tightening a rope around the poor creature’s neck, but this evil plan was averted by protests of the ASPCA. Electrocution was chosen as a more “humane” alternative method of executing the pachyderm.
The film clip of the cruel execution of a beast that had been treated poorly her whole life became a part of popular culture years after the event and the tale of poor Topsy becoming a victim of Edison’s evil maneuvering to discredit alternating current grew to accepted “fact.” (Even this article was originally prepared using sources that perpetuated the false narrative and has been updated in July of 2018 to reflect the real story.) Using the Topsy story as an example, it is easy to see how History can be changed and molded to fit a false narrative if we are not careful.
If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!
Your readership is much appreciated!
Historical Evidence
Daly, Michael. Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2013.
Marriott, Emma. They Got It Wrong: History: All the Facts that Turned Out to be Myths. Reader’s Digest, 2013.
Winchell, Mike. The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Light the World. Henry Holt and Co, 2019.
The featured image in this article, a press photograph from a January 4, 1903 electrocution of Topsy the elephant in an event to raise publicity about the opening of the new Conney Island amusement park “Luna Park” (at this point still under construction), is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1924. See this page for further explanation. The photograph was taken just when 6600 volts of electricity was turned on. Behind Topsy is the bridge over the lagoon of the “Shoot the Chutes” ride to an island in the middle. On the island is the unfinished “Electric Tower” with a sign advertising “OPENING MAY 2ND 1903 LUNA PARK $1,000,000 EXPOSITION, THE HEART OF CONEY ISLAND”, and “FOUNDATION OF 200FT ELECTRIC TOWER” in the background.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube:
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="962 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=962">146 Comments
I found it sad that Edison would use his campaign to push DC to be more prominent than AC by electrocuting an elephant. Animal cruelty is no way to obtain money.
I believe it was cruel of Edison to electrocute an elephant just to show that DC current was, in his opinion, the better option.
I find this so sad. No animal should have to endure this just to prove Edison’s point that DC current was better than AC.
Although Edison was definitely a genius and a legacy in American history, I found it ‘shocking’ that he was so cruel. It is disturbing that he would do such barbaric things to animals in order to prove a point.
It’s cruel what people will do for money, to keep business or smear a competitor. How shameful of Edison to turn to such cruel tactics to discredit Westinghouse and it didn’t even work in his favor.
i never knew this but i think he was not a good person and i feel bad for the animals.
No animal should have gone through this. You shouldn’t kill an animal to prove a point.
I think that is crazy that 1,500 people witnessed the circus elephant being electrocuted. I don’t think that I could have watched it.
I can not believe an animal had to go through this, no animal should have to live through that pain.
If Edison was so sure the AC current would kill Topsy, then why would he give the elephant cyanide as well? That seems like overkill and definitely supports the idea that Edison only cared about money. That being said, Edison’s use of AC to prove how dangerous it was seems to have backfired. AC was more effective and more efficient than DC. It was only dangerous because Edison made it so.
That’s horrible that Edison resulted in using animals in such a horrible way to prove something, and all to his own greed…
No animal should be treated like that, I had no idea that Edison was apart of it.
I knew Edison was such a genius but never knew he was so cruel. I don’t think he should have used elephants to prove his point that DC current was better than AC. No animal should have been treated like that.
I have never heard of this event. Interesting to learn more about Edison other than his glorified moments.
That poor elephant should have been in the wild in the first place. It wouldn’t have killed those people if it was. I can’t believe they would do that to an animal. Completely inhumane.
I kinda think its nice to hear that Edison had bad days too
It’s sad to see great people blinded by greed. Edison was a great inventor, but a stubborn man.
So sad to see an animal killed for something it didnt know was wrong
I’m glad Edison electrocuted the elephant that sounds more humane and reasonable than trying to hang it.
i cannot believe that edision was a part of such animal cruelty. it is also sad that how many people were there to watch. they did not have to kill that elephant in that way
I did not realize how cruel Edison was. Students are always taught how much of a genius he was and how he changed the world with his inventions. It was disturbing to read about the elephant and how he only wanted DC to be pursued because of money.
It is easy to oversee the bad that famous people have done, when they were alive. I wonder if this elephant actually posed a danger to the public or if when he acted out it was a situational event that any other animal would have acted the same in. It is really sad to see the execution of an animal to be used for entertainment.
Elephants are my favorite animals, so this did not sit well with me. Despite what he did for us with his contributions to science, this was just wrong. I also think that I agree with everyone here that we tend to idolize Edison for what he did for us scientifically and overlook things such as this that showed us that he had the capacity to be self centered (in particular with insisting on DC currents) and cruel (in the case of Topsy).
When thinking of Edison, we think about a man who invented a lot. We do not see him as someone who stood to make a lot of money, but the reality is behind all his work he was money hungry. What does not seem right is the extent to which he went to try to prove DC was better than AC when it does not seem like it was.
It is kind of upsetting to read about the dark sides of people. I always thought of Edison as a genius and never thought anything could be wrong with him. He did indeed change the world we live in today, but so did many other people who were humbler than he was. The fact that all he did was in order to gain more money for himself is sad.
We are always taught of the all the good someone like Edison does but never this kind of stuff where he kills an animal in this dark way. Seems a little far just to prove DC current was better than AC.
In the light of this article, Edison seems like a money hungry mad scientist! Maybe that is what he truly was. To go around tortuously electrocuting animals in the hopes of a big payday is disgusting! I never knew this about Edison and I hope that karma had a lot to do with AC being the preferred method of electrical transmitting.
Poor topsy the elephant! What a horrible thing to do to a poor animal. History seems to sugarcoat the true character of many American heroes and Edison does not seem to be exempt from this! Power and money hungry, Edison even went so far as to electrocute animals to try and defeat the competition! Just awful!
Edison was manipulative to get his way of DC power to be at the front. Topsy the elephant was going to die anyways but Edison wanted to make it look bad killing the elephant with AC power. Even the most brilliant inventories of all time are selfish and will do anything to get money. It is a dog eat dog world and it always has been and will be.
It always seems to come down to money! I never knew Edison was sort of evil, but that is a good thing to know when looking at some of our American heroes.
Can you imagine what our country would look like had we chosen DC electricity? Every one mile there would have to be a power plant, which would take up so much space and leave our communities looking messy and industrial. A lot of jobs would have been created though!
The money was surely the motive for Edison. It makes sense that he would support a DC system because he had patents and investments associated with DC electricity. Since he was responsible for inventing so many unique things, it is likely that he had great power in swaying people to support the DC system over the AC system, despite clear advantages of the AC system.
The motivation behind Edison wanting to prove a point that AC transformers are dangerous is fine but proving it by showing cats and dogs getting electrocuted is not fine. Even after years of people finding execution interesting they still enjoy it since 1,500 went to see Topsy get electrocuted.
Sad to know that Edison was only in it for the money and was willing to do anything to get it. Yes, Edison was a very smart man, but he used it in ways that should never had happened. The killing of dogs and cats for experiments is unacceptable.
I never knew what type of person Edison was. I would have thought that he was a great guy based on his inventions, but man I was wrong! He is evil for electrocuting animals all so he could make more money!
I have always heard about the numerous inventions that Edison made in his lifetime. I never knew how how this man treated animals in order for his inventions to be used in the country. Edison seemed to care more about money than the fair treatment of animals.
Thomas Edison is still recognized today as a genius and brilliant inventor, but reading about the dark side of him definitely changes your perspective of him. I knew he was an advocate for DC electricity and about the poor elephant, but I did not know his main reason behind it was money. It always comes down to money. But good thing it did not work out. I can not imagine having a power plant a mile from every customer.
Money is always the motive! I never knew Edison had a dark side to him. I always looked at him highly for all the great inventions he created. I do not understand how people think it is okay to test their inventions on animals. Poor Topsy the elephant.
I am so disappointed in Edison now. This is the first time I am learning about this and I am not impressed. Edison took on a dark side and took the lives of cats, dogs, and an elephant to prove that he was the “best”. Nothing is worth using the lives of mother living thing.
Very surprising to me that a man who created many useful things was such a horrible human being. Animal cruelty is disgusting and if he was still alive he should be ashamed of himself, not only for the murder of an animal but for being greedy as well.
Never knew Edison to be the type of person who tries to halt progress being made. I like learning about the darker sides of people we hold up so highly.
Interesting to hear the other side of people that are shown to be flawless. There is always the other side to everyone, everything.
Wow, this is a shocking article (no pun intended)! We have learned about so many brutal events in previous units, but it somehow seems more brutal the closer to present time we get. I cannot imagine a world where we’d need power plants everywhere! Thank you Westinghouse for winning!
I am surprised to learn how cynical Thomas Edison was. Also, how in the world do you hang an elephant?
I am not sure at all how they expected to hang an elephant.
Edison during the war of the currents was one of the most conniving and veracious attempts by and american businessman. Great film maker with an excellent sense of propaganda
I think that this is a cruel way to prove a point. There had to have been a better way for Edison to prove that AC was more dangerous than DC.
I never knew Edison was such a greedy guy he was really out to make money that was it.
I don’t blame Edison for pushing DC so much if he was on the verge of losing millions of dollars!
How would it even be possible to hang an elephant?
This made me angry, to know that a or elephant was experimented on and electrocuted. This was not necessary by any means.
What a poor elephant! I am sure that Topsy did not intentionally kill those three people.
Its interesting to learn about the darker side of such a brilliant and respected inventor.
It’s weird to use ‘westinghoused’ to mean being electrocuted.
It seemed like Edison was out for the fame and for him to film such a thing is unprofessional and disgusting.
Never knew someone competed with Edison in regards to electricity in the US.
I love elephants to this is sad to me! It really is interesting that someone competed with Edison.
its horrible they tested the electric chair on a elephant.
I never knew Thomas Edison had such a dark side to him.
I can not believe that they would test the electric chair on an elephant. This makes me so sad
Animal cruelty laws were coming into effect in the 1800s, but I suppose it doesn’t surprise me that no one thought of this as cruel back then since humans were also being electrocuted then. I can’t believe they thought about hanging an elephant. That rope would have to be very strong to suspend an elephant!
This is pretty terrible, Im not sombody who thinks killing animals is a horrible thing,but killing one for no reason, and like this, makes me feel pretty bad.
It is very unethical how they tested some of the things back then.
Makes me have a different perspective on Edison now. Knowing that he would do pretty much anything for money.
we were always taught all the good things about edison and never the bad things. It is so sad to hear the terrible things he did to animals and it also makes me wonder what other historical people we have learned about also a have dark side to them.
Funny how back then they did this on elephants whereas they now do it on monkeys or lab rats.
I actually first learned about the execution of Topsy the Elephant in the show bobs burgers. This was a event in history that was never talked about.
I think its terrible that they used an elephant to test the electric chair, but i think its terrible that they are still using other animals to test things today.
This is really disturbing, I would never condemn an animal to that kind of death. It doesn’t matter if the elephant killed anyone, they only act out of instinct.
It’s sad that they not only electrocuted Topsy but poisoned the elephant.
…why are my eyes leaking?
Forget Harambe let’s focus on Topsy. So sad and inhumane
It is unfortunate that animals are used for experimental purposes. Topsy was condemned for killing three people. If this situation were to occur in present time the animal would also be condemned and killed. I feel that the manner in which the execution was performed and publicity gained from the killing is unsettling. Why is such an event still being used in the filming industry?
In history it seems as though we treat Edison like a celebrity for his inventions but we often do not hear that he helped create the electric chair and was money driven.
Smear campaigns and electrocuting animals, people will do horrible things for the love of money. I never knew there was even a fight over using AC or DC, or that Edison was such a cruel person.
I did not know that Edison was such a horrible person. I cannot believe they would electrocute or hang an elephant.
I never realized that Edison was involved in all of this. I never realized he was apart of the killing of a circus elephant which is really disturbing. I also never realized there was a dispute over AC and DC during the time and that Edison was the inventor of the electric chair.
Oh my gosh!! What a horrible story. I never knew there was such a dark side to Edison.
I had no idea Edison worked to develop the electric chair. Also, I cannot believe money was so important to him that he electrocuted animals and poisoned an elephant to assist killing it by electrocution to show that AC was dangerous.
Hearing about this story makes me sick to my stomach. Being a huge animal lover, I cannot believe someone would “condemn” an elephant for killing three people. Elephants are meant to be in the wild, not in circuses. I do not blame the elephant for lashing out. I also do not think that Edison should have had any say in poisoning and electrocuting an elephant.
I am amazed that one of the greatest inventors to have such a lust of monitary gain
When you think of Thomas Edison you think of all the wonderful inventions he was a part of. It unbelievable to think that he was part of such a horrible case of mistreatment of the elephant.
Wow! This is a perfect example of what greed can do.For Edison being such a great inventor and a genius too boot, he lacked much empathy, very sad.
I had never even hear of Westinghouse until reading this article. This article shows the competition between inventors and brings a new side of the story.
I did not know this side of Thomas Edison. Now that I know that he chose money over the safety of people, I am not sure how I feel. Although I am very grateful for his invention, I do not understand why inventors such as Edison, and Ford for example have to be so greedy and be all in it for money. They should be proud of their accomplishment that they made in the first place.
This is one of the saddest articles that I have ever read. I always thought of Thomas Edison as a wonderful inventor that used his brilliance to enhance our lives with electricity. The fact that he made this grid to kill such a beautiful creature as an elephant is sickening an shows what money and fame can truly do to the mentality of a person.
I never realized that Thomas Edison and Westinghouse were such big rivals. One thing that really struck me is that Edison killed/electrocuted the elephant Topsy. I am not as appalled with this as Alyssa is because the elephant was supposed to die anyways. All in all, I did not realize that Edison had such a quirky side. I always thought of him as the man who invented the lightbulb.
I had never heard about this side of Edison. I agree with Taylor on how I am grateful for the inventions that he made, but I am not sure how I feel about him as a person. I did find it interesting on how they planned on hanging Topsy. I am not sure how that would have worked. I do not agree that filming the electrocution of Topsy was proper to do just to show what AC could do.
In my memory, Edison was one of the greatest inventor in the world because he made the world to be brightened. The article is so interesting that it shows me another side of Edison. But, it is still hard to believe in.
It was interesting to see that genius inventors are just as competitive and in pursuit of their own interest as politicians.
Wow, I’m shocked by what I just read. (No pun intended) Edison is not who I thought he was. Money can really make people do crazy things. I also was shocked to hear about Topsy almost being hung. I’ve never heard of animals being hung in the past like that for wrongdoings, only of them being shot.
I was very surprised reading this article about Edison. I do remember learning briefly that he wasn’t who everyone thought he was in elementary school. I also still think it was to hang Topsy even if he was going to die.
After reading this article I now know that Edison was not the person everyone made him out to be. I cannot believe that he chose money over the safety of people.
I have heard that Edison is sketchy and not what everyone thinks. This just made me realize a little bit more!
It is always sad to see how people and animals can be affected by the greed of others.
It is so sad what greed can do to people.
I know greed can be a bad thing and cause people to do crazy things.
Greed can be a terrible thing and it is sad to see how many people it actually affects.
I would think he did it to show off how strong his electricity was.
One real question, how do you hang an elephant? Anyhow, Edison’s greed got the best of him.
This article came as a total surprise! I never thought of Edison as a cruel or greedy man, just a genius that was a staple figure in our history. This article shows him in a different light for sure.
Edison seems like a very greedy person this article made me think of this video we watched in class about Edison once again being greedy
I thing Edison has a god idea when he established Ac
Edison inventions definitely boosted the way we live. He had so many inventions, many went by the wayside. I guess you have to be a little unstable to play with electricity.
You probably also have to be unstable to be successful. From wht I am learning so far, success is not for the fainted heart and things have to be done, whether it is nice or not, to get a head of the game.
This story is tragic! He was so desperate he would do anything! His DC plan was obviously a poor one in comparison to AC. He had to have seen this. Desperate times, desperate measures, I guess. I wish animal cruelty had not been a part of his smear campaign.
I agree I don’t think he should of killed an animal to prove his point. There is other ways to rove it.
I don’t think this was the best way to prove his point. I think he should of come up with some different ways to show the impact without getting involved with the death sentence of an elephant.
This was a battle between AC and DC current and I also agree that they both have good and bad with them. We use a lot of ac/dc current now. I think we should keep using it in the death penalty and not on animals. Bring back Old Sparky and show how this electric current works.
Thomas Edison was a brilliant individual, and he is from Ohio. The is crazy to think they were going to hang an elephant to death, that seems kind of harsh for an animal.
Money will make you do some desperate things. Especially when millions of dollars are on the line.
I find it highly ironic that Edison was trying to use the word “Westinghoused” to replace the term electrocution when Edison was behind the creation that electrocuted people! I would be interested in how many volts of electricity it took to electrocute Topsy, but I’m sure it was quite a large amount!
I always find it interesting to read about incidents like this, it’s horrifying to be sure, but it goes to show how far we’ve come in a relatively short amount of time.
Great history about the invention of electricity and its war to be superior between DC and AC. The battle of advertising continues today with the many products battling for the market.
Even though Topsy was going to be executed anyway this incident just goes to show what money can do to some people. Thomas Edison, regarded as one of our countries most famous inventors for his pioneering work in electricity, turned to awful smear campaigns and the execution of animals. All just to gain millions when he had already made a large profit in so many of his other inventions.
Wow, I cannot believe that they were actually going to hang an elephant (Doesn’t seem like the most effiecient way to execute an animal of this size). This is the first that I have ever heard of Topsy the elephant. This was Edisons way of trying to convince people that DC was more safe than AC.
Although I am an avid outdoorsman, I still believe animals should still be treated ethically. The execution of an animal for the sole purpose to make money is unnecessary. Topsy was removed from his natural element for the satisfaction for people’s entertainment
What they did to this poor elephant is terrible. I cannot believe they were considering hanging the poor thing either
How horrible it is to learn what these poor animals went through! We see animals in a different light these days. I guess back then they were just defining human rights, so how were they ethically knowledgeable enough to know that electrocuting animals was not humane?
It is extremely sad that someone who use an animal to make their point. An elephant should not be handled by humans anyway so it is no surprise that the elephant killed someone.
Animal cruelty is something that I have a really hard time with those people who commit those crimes. There are certain animals that are supposed to be wild and when humans try to tame, them something awful happens and the blame is always put on the animal. It’s sad to see that even back then animal cruelty was taking place.
I was shock to find out that Edison was so money hungry that he would be cruel to animals. This was something that I did not know about him and cruelty of animals is beyond acceptable to me or any other person just for to proof someone wrong over money. I always thought he was a great person, but I guess I was wrong.
Animal cruelty is ridiculous and unexpected. The fact that they even thought about hanging an elephant is disgusting.
Edison was a smart individual but to use animals and be cruel to them is disgusting. But the fact is he used this elephant to prove his point is way to disturbing and horrible. I guess he was more worried about being greedy then the well being of the animals which is just sick.
Edison was a smart man and just like many today he was also greedy. He did however have to find a way to prove that DC current was the way to go. The use of an elephant is inhumane by today’s standards nevertheless this was not even a consideration back in this time period. I guess you could say in this aspect we have learned from history.
After adding the article, and reading the other post, I am in an agreement that Thomas Edison was greedy, and cruel in proving his point. I think he could have chosen another way to do it. I think he could have used self-made dummies to prove his theory. There is no excuse to use animals to prove such things. I have always admired Thomas Edison, but after reading about this, I have my doubts.
Edison was a horrible person it is sad what greed can do to a person. Why he felt that killing animals was acceptable is beyond me. For being as smart as he was one would have thought he could have come out on top using other ideas other than killing defenseless animals.
I’ve heard this myth before about Edison and Topsy. Thought I would share a few things. Topsy was sentenced to death by Luna Park officials after she had killed three men over a three-month period. That she had, under the goading of her drunken handler, menaced the local police and some workmen likely also influenced amusement park officials in their decision to rid themselves of the elephant (“Myth Buster-Topsy the elephant”, 2017). Once the park officials decided that electrocution would be used on Topsy, they needed the help of the local electric company-the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Brooklyn, NY. This company used the Edison name because it originally used the Edison system of electric power generation under license from the EEIC. Edison had no personal role or was involved in the day to day operations of these companies.
Reference
“Myth Buster – The Edison Papers”. Edison.rutgers.edu. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.
This was sad, that poor elephant. Where does Tessla come in to all of this. I thought he invented AC.
Wow, if this is all true, its pretty crazy! I’ve read some information saying that Edison was not involved, and some information that says he was involved in the electrocution of Topsy. It is amazing to witness what some people will do for the sake of profit.
Smart man, but why animal cruelty? Maybe he was wanting to go big, and thought that by using the elephant it would help him.
I never knew that about the electric chair. I thought the soul purpose of it being created was for the death penalty. Interesting. I believe the only reason he turned to the elephant was to create shock value. This is a large, strong creature and electric can take it down easily.
This was by far the worst article I have read regarding Edison. Times were different then but what Edison did was just disgusting. I did, however, find it interesting that he was behind the scenes of he electric chair. It makes sense after reading this but at the same time it makes me wonder what kind of man he really was!
The information in this article was absolutely unbelievable to learn! Edison may have been a famous inventor, but if he lived today his inventions would be overshadowed by his apparent cruelty towards animals. It did not surprise me that he did everything he could to protect his business interests in order to make a considerable profit off his inventions. Incidentally, I doubt they would have been very successful in hanging Topsy. Hanging an elephant thing seems a little impracticable.
I found this article very interesting as in school you learned how great Edison was and that he was remembered for his inventions. I had never heard such wild things about him such as his cruelty towards animals. I also never knew he was behind the electric chair. Such crazy things that history books do not tell you.
Very informative. Obviously, everyone puts Edison on a pedestal as a great inventor, but I enjoyed learning about his road to success. He was a very smart man. Although his schemes may have been morally terrible, they were intelligently calculated and they worked.
Not to take away from all the Edison has accomplished, but I am disappointed in his behavior to say the least. I am a huge animal lover and to know Edison was electrocuting animals to make a point against AC is disgusting and cruel to say the least. With how intelligent he was why did he just not develop something better than AC or try to advance his own DC?
I can see that there are animal cruelty issues existed then and now.
It was sad to read about problems with animal credulity way back then. We still struggle today keeping animals in captivity and treating them poorly.
It was sad to know that people were using cat and dog as part of test to finish their final work, Even though Edison was smart enough to invent the light, but animals should be treat as the same as the human beings.
I know the cat and dog thing is unforgivable but he needed to get his point across without humans having to die. People do crazy things when it comes to money.
Wow! I had no idea Edison was such an individual. Anyone who is cruel to animals loses my respect.
Even though Edison was smart enough, but his behavior of animal abuse was not advocated in the past. As an inventor, he was inventing many thing for the people around the world to have more convenience.
I think it is sad that Edison broadcasted an elephant being electrocuted by AC just so he could ingrain “Westinghoused” to mean being electrocuted. It makes it even worse that this horrible event is used in films and music videos.I also wonder how on earth they planned on hanging an elephant?
Edison is a brilliant man but this article makes it seem like he cares more about money than the well being of the nation. As an inventor I would think you would side with the most practical option even if that is not your own invention. Also electrocuting an animal on purpose is very wrong and in today’s society would not be accepted.
Thee execution of the elephant is tragic to me because I adore elephants! While Edison was very smart and innovative, I do not agree with his decision to record the electrocution of the animal.