• AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    19
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    1 year ago

    Thomas Edison famously tried to prove that AC current was more dangerous than his DC current. (Edison was pushing DC current for long distance transmission and as home electrical service.) To do this he electruted Topsy the elephant in front of an audience. When the AC current wouldn’t kill Topsy he switched to DC current and zapped her to death.

    • duncesplayed@lemmy.one
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I don’t know that this one really counts. First, as stewie said, Edison didn’t electrocute Topsy (though he did film it).

      But anyway, what “stupid prizez” did Edison win? An enormous pile of money and immortal fame and admiration?

    • stewie3128@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      Although Edison was a complete ass, and did lasting damage to the world by teaming up with JP Morgan to extinguish Nikola Tesla’s work, he wasn’t the one who electrocuted Topsy.

    • DigitalAudio@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      I mean… if you use DC digitally (I.e turning it on and off making it binary code), it really is a cleaner information transmission than AC. But I doubt that’s what Edison had in mind.

    • stewie3128@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Although Edison was a complete ass, and did lasting damage to the world by teaming up with JP Morgan to extinguish Nikola Tesla’s work, he wasn’t the one who electrocuted Topsy.

    • stewie3128@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      Although Edison was a complete ass, and did lasting damage to the world by teaming up with JP Morgan to extinguish Nikola Tesla’s work, he wasn’t the one who electrocuted Topsy.