He is certainly a tragic figure. It's really too bad that he lived in a capitalistic society - otherwise, due to his inventions, we might be living in a far different world today.
I could be mistaken, but I imagine she's referring to the the "War of Currents" between Tesla and Edison...
I think that was probably it. The timing was kind of cool that you'd post your link from the other day just a couple of days before his b'day.
I knew exactly what you meant. He never got the credit in life he should've for his work. I just don't think it's the fault of capitalist society. There are far too many examples of people who benefited enormously from the opportunities free enterprise afforded to let one bad example sour me on the idea.
It's because Westinghouse and Edison were so wealthy and so powerful that they destroyed Tesla publicly - so much so that I'd never even heard of him until college, and even then, only because I was involved in a research project funded by NASA. The professor heading up the project had access to those 'top secret' original Tesla documents. Had we not been a capitalistic society, Westinghouse and Edison would have had no reason to destroy Tesla - in fact, my have actually worked with him on some of his ideas. But, God knows, saying anything against a capitalistic society on Wordforge anywhere but the red room is trolling.
Most hilarious part of that whole publicity war was the creation of the Electric Chair, to try to associate AC current with death. Too bad for Edison, capitalism prevailed AGAINST him and AC won out due to lower resistance in transmission... Although AC did also have backing from other big US businessmen of the day.
The other half of that is if we had not been a capitalistic society, there wouldn't have been the big push to continue improving the technology to the level it's at today. I'm sure Tesla himself wanted some of the rewards of his genius and might not have been so driven if he didn't see himself benefiting from all his hard work.
So Jenee, how exactly did Edison AND Westinghouse "destroy" Tesla -- other than the 'so much so, that you hadn't heard of him until college'? You make it sound like his genius was suppressed when the facts show that he triumphed in the AC/DC battle.
To a point, I agree. But, everything I've read about Tesla (including the Wiki article you provided) suggests that he did his research for the same reasons Stephen King says he writes - because he has to. Because the visions inside him need to get out. Most accounts of Tesla, tho, show that he was not 'money oriented' - the fact that he refused Westinghouse's offer is a powerful argument. But, society's need for electricity - so much so that they would pay for it, is why both Edison and Westinghouse, and others, were willing to fund his research. So, on that point I agree about capitalism driving the research.
I'm more inclined to believe he just wasn't that good at fighting the corporate battles. If he was so driven then it doesn't seem as likely that he would care who got credit for his innovations that he'd fight all the way to SCOTUS after he'd already basically won the technical arguments.
I'm so confused now -- isn't the latter statement pretty much evidence to the contrary of the former? Why would they fund his research if they were simultaneously trying to 'destroy' him?
that's just it, he didn't have the drive. that's why Edison and Westinghouse were able to walk all over him. The only reason he went after the radio patent was because he'd already had it, and it was taken away from him.
Well since it's obvious by now that Jenee is in fact trolling -- considering she won't back up her claim about how Westinghouse and Edison were trying to destroy Tesla -- I'm guessing it's ok these days to troll outside the RR? In any case, I don't think any one needs a 'NASA research project' to have heard of Tesla. All you have to do is enroll in second semester introductory physics, as most courses mention him when dealing with magnetic fields. That must have been some NASA research project though, to be dealing with the 'top secret' Tesla. Perhaps it was for one of NASA's redheaded stepchild agencies (like NASA media) rather than NASA actual.
Only the radio patent. He didn't fight to get the patent for the research he did for Edison in those first years - nor did he continue to fight for the money that Edison "promised" him.
She's got a warning for her rep transgressions. But don't think for a second that I don't realize that you baited her there. The only trolling she has done in this thread thus far is in the rep she's given you. Play nice, kids.
I respectfully disagree. She was asked, by a few different people, to explain her comment about how "because of capitalism, Edison and Westinghouse destroyed Tesla." Such a comment was out-of-place incendiary; and also, a seemingly underhanded slam at the more libertarian/self sufficiency advocating posters here. IOW, it was trolling. Now if wasn't trolling, then she should have been able to explain and defend her statement. But she didn't. She just flagrantly made a provocative comment outside of the RR, and then dug her heels in when people asked for explanation. So what conclusion are we to be left with other than that she was in fact trolling? IMHO, of course. Anyway, thanks for handling the matter. I don't know how much good it will be do, as she has had to be warned for the same exact thing before, but it's appreciated nonetheless.
Point of fact: Westinghouse was into producing AC power generators and therefore was on the same side (against Edison) as Tesla for that particular issue.
Thank you. That was pretty much my whole point all along -- that we simply look at the actual facts before summarily jumping to the 'big, mean, capitalist corporations holdin' people down' sophistry.
Then, the story goes that Tesla pitched to Westinghouse his idea of broadcast electricity. When asked, "How would you hook up a meter to it?" Tesla replied that you'd give the electricity away, and that soured Westinghouse on Tesla. Don't know how true the story is or not (Tesla wasn't exactly a sane fellow, after all.), but I can see ways to make a buck off the technology, even if you didn't have meters on everything.
Tesla's notes, as well as photographic evidence (crude as it was back then) as well as unbiased witnesses conclude that he was able to produce electricity without the need for conductors - that it could just be sent through the air. Remember that show back in the '90s "The Dinosaurs", they had an episode that paralled Tesla's Coil.
