A picture of George Westinghouse. Westinghouse Electric Company.
George Westinghouse Entering
The Electric Industry
In 1884, Westinghouse bought a patent to a DC self-regulating dynamo. With this purchase Westinghouse entered into the electric distribution industry.
In 1885, Westinghouse learned about an AC system and became instantly interested in the systems possibilities.
In 1885, Westinghouse learned about an AC system and became instantly interested in the systems possibilities.
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Creation of the
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Westinghouse told me he simply "could not afford to have others own the patents." Mr. Westinghouse recognized that my system, which made the commutator obsolete, was the solution to the problem of distributing power by means of electrical currents.
-Nikola Tesla
In 1888, Westinghouse started using AC to transmit electricity to customers. The advantages of AC made it so customers no longer needed to live nearby. Soon news spread that Westinghouse was working with Tesla to improve the AC Motor. The ability to serve more customers resulted in Westinghouse to gain on Edison.
Upsetting Edison...
Later Edison changed his opinion because he believed that Westinghouse was infringing on his patent of his light bulb among others. On December 23, 1887, Edison filed eleven lawsuits against Westinghouse.
Mr. Edison has chosen to bring these infringements of his patents against the Westinghouse people because they are believed to have done more toward the infringement of his patents than any of the other companies. |
[The suits were] news to me. However I am not surprised at the action of the Edison people. It is all bunkum on their part. We have patents on our systems of incandescent lighting that are so immeasurably superior to theirs it is only a question of time before we supersede them all over the country. |
Westinghouse lost the suits, but soon he bought someone else's patents to a light bulb. Westinghouse's actions showed Edison that he would not be able to impact Westinghouse long through politics, so when he learned of Westinghouse's usage of AC, he knew he needed to try everything he could to rid consumers of (what he believed as) dangerous forms of electricity.