The Edison Electric Chair

Thomas Edison was a proponent of direct current (DC), while George Westinghouse preferred alternating current (AC), which could be transmitted over greater distances. Thomas Edison hoped to defeat AC by showing how dangerous it could be, so in 1890 he created the first electric chair in secret, using animals (dogs, cats, etc) for tests, eventually holding public demonstrations. Westinghouse and AC won in the long run, due to ease of transport, and the electric chair became a new execution method. Edison wanted to call this “ampermort” or “dynamort”, a college liked “electricide”, and others thought “Westinghoused” (likely to disparage that name!) We seemed to have settled on “fried”. (oh, sorry: electrocution)