Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World
by Jill Jonnes
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jill JonnesEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-12
ISBN: 0375758844
Number of pages: 464
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World
Book Review: Battle of the Electric Giants
Summary: 4 Stars
Empire of Lights is the story of the quest to conquer the American Electric Industry. Thomas Edison, Nicholas Tesla, George Westinghouse are all giants in their own right with great accomplishments and life stories to fill up many books. It should be no surprise that when
they come together, they end up altering the way humans live. Edison the experimenter, who invents stuff by relentlessly tring out many things vs Tesla the theoretician with visionary dreams; Edison the all-controlling boss who loves the spotlight vs George Westinghouse a generous boss under whom Tesla flourished. Students of Electrical Engineering with poor grades can feel a little better ; even the great Edison failed to understand the significance and utility of the AC distribution system championed by
George Westinghouse and Tesla. This book may infact enhance the understanding of modern day students by providing perspective on the drawbacks of the DC system and benefits/challenges in implementing an AC system. In a way, the war of the electric currents is similar to the arguments between the coal and nuclear industry of today. The AC current was portrayed as a deadly form of electricity totally unsafe for human use. The Electric industry of late 19th century was lucky that it didnt have to suffer major liability lawsuits for fatal injuries. It will be interesting to see if the Nuclear Industry can overcome the fear in the minds of the people.
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