All language subtitles for American Genius Series - S01E08 - Edison vs Tesla

Electricity holds
the power of life.

End of the nineteenth century
the unlocking the force of nature.

Is a puzzle as tempting.

As it is dangerous.

Untested unproven
uncontrollable.

Vast fortunes
and brilliant minds

will be pitted
against each other.

In an all out battle to harness
the power of electricity.

Thomas Edison.

Nikola Tesla.

Inventors with opposing visions

on a collision course
with each other.

And history.

Gentleman.

Give you the
future of electricity.

Epic more.

To power the world.

Team of young engineers.

Is under pressure to find a
solution to a daunting challenge.

How many trust.

No one hundred maybe.

Persistence.

Patients.

Perseverance.

When something doesn't work.

There's always another solution.

Just thirty one years old

Thomas Edison is the most
famous inventor on the planet.

He's already brought the
world an astonishing adventure.

Phonograph.

And earned himself the nickname

the wizard of menlo park.

Medicine represents
for lots of people.

The essence of Yang key into.

He was brilliant the
was insightful the but.

Equally extraordinarily
hard headed.

And practical
pragmatic businessman.

His success as an
inventor is unrivaled.

But now Edison is trying to do
something no one has done before.

Create a safe
inexpensive light source

that could replace the gas lamp.

And is powered by electricity.

He's experienced over
one hundred failed attempts.

But now

in October of eighteen seventy nine
the Edison is about to find the element

that will allow with a
lightbulb to burn steadily.

Safely

and repeatedly.

Carbon.

The use of carbonized
thread is a breakthrough.

But the invention of the light
bulb is only half the battle.

To replace gas
lighting with electricity.

Edison will have
to design and build

an entirely new industry.

Wasn't enough to just have
a lightbulb because remember

it eighteen seventy nine when
the Edison's working on this

there are no pre-existing sockets there are
no plugs there is no wiring in your house.

See if you're going to have lighting
in your house or and your business

you're going to have
to build everything.

So a men

that Edison had to think in
terms of an entire system.

Edison isn't the only genius trying
to solve the problem of electricity.

By reversing the
direct electrical current

the dynamo can
function as both a motor.

Generator.

Giving us at least the
potential to waste energy.

The mystery Tesla.

There are still much friction if you
remove that commutator as a machine

done more efficiently.

And how do we create a rotating
field without the commutate.

I dunno.

In a university in Austria

and Amber vicious physics
student is formulating an idea

for a radical new way
of generating electricity.

Name is Nikola Tesla.

Nikola Tesla had
a vision a vision

of what's to come
into the future.

Tesla has enormous dreams and
he had a genius to carry them out.

A generator

creates an electrical current at
naturally reverses it's flow periodically.

And Tesla's time

electrical current is delivered by channeling
that current in a single direction.

It's called.

Direct current.

Tesla envisions fully harnessing a
generators naturally alternating current.

Ac would be a stronger and more
efficient way to deliver electrical power.

There's just one problem.

Never been done before.

Was very radical

because nobody had figured out how
to make an ac motor that would work.

Because they were
all thinking about the.

Traditional way in which
you designed a mode.

Tesla was a dreamer.

He could envision a
technology and his mind.

Is going to be the future.

Thomas Edison is on the
verge of creating a system

that will allow him to bring his
new light bulb into people's homes.

On the wall street overhear.

The first generator
the second gen

the Edison pitches his direct
current concept to was investors.

As safe simple and reliable.

Hoping to convince
them that his system

could be the new standard
light source in people's homes.

Lot more than five
hundred customers.

Not bad for starters.

Pearl street today.

Located in Manhattan

Pearl street station is the
first power plant in the world.

Within two years

Edison builds eighteen
new power plants.

Each can only provide
power within a half mile radius.

Could only really
build power plants in

very densely populated.

Cities because
otherwise it wouldn't be.

Economically feasible.

To right away rural
and smaller towns

were kind of frozen out of that.

Power equation.

Over three thousand miles away.

At and Edison
factory outside Paris.

Nikola Tesla has
a different idea.

For years

Tesla has been trying to
perfect his own invention.

And alternating current motor.

Finally has a working prototype.

To prove his idea.

Nikola Tesla will have
to come to america.

Confront the most famous
scientist in the world.

Thomas Edison has begun
the process of wiring the country.

And the world.

Using a system called director.

What he's about to cross paths with
Nikola Tesla the a man who is convinced

that he knows a
better way to power.

It must have been
amazing for Tesla think

he must have seen
menlo park as a big.

Playground.

I'm sure Tesla side

I've finally found my arm
finally found a kindred

spirit.

Has been three days what's
going on the adjusted the rotors.

Gotta be the commentators.

Climate change.

Before Tesla can present Edison
with his big idea for alternating current.

You'll have to earnest trust.

Mr Edison.

Sir.

I have a letter
from my supervisor.

What do you do mister.

Tesla.

I am an inventor

okay.

And.

I can fix things.

Is that right.

Yes.

I can fix anything.

Experience with.

Edison gives
Tesla a difficult task.

The fix a problem
plagued generator

the first of its kind ever
installed on the ship.

I think it is in would
do that with a lot of.

People that he hired
he would send them out

and into something that

might seem very difficult
or even impossible

and just see if they
could handle that.

Short seconds abundance on
the Irish coils wasn't easy fix.

Tesla just showed.

That he was able to
kind of be parachuted into

a problem and come
up with a novel solution.

I think that's something that that
Edison really admired because that was.

Part of his own genius.

Edison electric company is
growing at an incredible rate.

Now supplies power to the
barons of American industry.

But Edison's director and system

has its limits.

Ooh it can only
deliver power effectively

within about a half
mile of a power station.

Nikola Tesla believes his alternating
current can travel much farther.

And bring electricity
to everyone.

Power of alternating current.

Comes at a cost.

They both have their dangers and their
advantages in the distribution of electricity

but at that particular
moment in time

at the voltages that
were being operated on

with our understanding
the system of the time.

The high voltage ac.

Seemed clearly more dangerous.

Despite the dangers of

Nikola Tesla is convinced
to system is superior.

You have two minutes.

I imagine a central
power station.

With one generate.

Are kind of generator.

Alternating current.

He can do the work
of many of these.

Can't control it.

Burned down the city.

I want to impress me.

Improve the system we've got.

Correct that

you get the fifty
thousand dollar prize.

Tesla takes Edison's
challenge to heart.

Tries to devise a way to make
Edison's to recurrent more efficient.

Tesla discovers that if he's
shortens the magnetic course.

Can triple the output
of the generators.

At solution.

It seems debtors.

Avery's on the you

your suggestions
with my assistant.

About the bus the thousands of.

You said if successfully
design the DC generator.

That will get a bonus.

A joke.

I was that a joke.

Yeah wish they don't understand
our American sense of humor.

Get back to work.

As a result of not
getting the fifty thousand

dollars from the Edison
company Tesla basically

decides that you know what

don't really need the
Edison accompany.

Instead of working for Edison.

Tesla will work against him.

Determined to
prove that he is right.

War for the future of power.

Is about to begin.

Eighteen eighty five

Thomas Edison's direct current
is transform a downtown new York.

Into a city of light.

But his former employee
Nikola Tesla beliefs d

is to limited

and that his alter and current

is the future of power.

Now he has to prove.

Nikola Tesla leaves Edison's lab

and for a while it is.

Unemployed and.

Has a hard time.

Finding work there's
not a lot of work

for for experimental.

Electricians at the time.

With no other job prospects.

Tesla is forced to find
worth digging trenches.

Trenches for underground
cable for Edison electric.

Time get this system
later it'll be out of date.

Can carry a current
a half miles pathetic.

These

a plant with orange one hundred
times larger for a fraction the cost.

Is that true.

You can count on.

What he talks about it
while he's digging ditches

and one of the people that
finds out that he's got this

idea is the superintendent
about ditch digging project.

At he says.

You need to come and meet
my friend the wall street financier.

Who had invested and developed
a whole series of companies.

For Tesla it's the
opportunity of a lifetime.

But simply explaining alternating
current to investors won't be enough.

He needs to show them
and exactly what it can do.

Is not.

Makes use a full
possible voltage.

Tell me that.

Us.

No more bridging thoughts
but more importantly.

No fish.

Gentlemen.

If may.

Was one of the characteristics
of Tesla is really important.

Is he was very good at coming up
with sort of simple demonstrations.

To show people.

What the possibilities were for
the technology was working on.

A rotating.

Magnetic field.

Alternating current.

Gentleman.

Future.

Of electricity.

Tesla's able to show.

How a spinning egg.

Controlled by
electricity is analogous

to an engine the
demonstration is ahead

and Tesla gets
his first investors.

Now is ready to take on
Edison electric empire.

Tesla's opportunity

may be coming just
the right time from.

By eighteen eighty eight.

Edison system is
struggling to meet demand.

But he still refuses to
abandoned direct current.

Five years of
investment personally and

from bankers like jp Morgan

in developing a
direct current system.

It's going to build
central stations.

People are going to invest in those central
stations he's going to earn money from

those he knows
that going to work.

But now Edison has competition.

What is investors'

money.

Tesla opens a lab not far from
Edison's Pearl street station.

Determined to show the world
what alternating current can do.

Tesla's idea of alternating current
was very much a populist idea it wasn't

that

a few big power plants.

Would be.

Producing power for
a few large companies.

It was that everyone.

Could be electrified.

But he's still needs to find a
way to boost a seize power.

Alternating current
troubles and waves.

With gaps in between the peaks.

Tesla envisions a second signal.

Out of sync with the first.

To filling the gaps.

For.

Tesla does have a vision about

alternating current.

It comes to him
and a kind of picture

and he's able to see that.

As

The way to transmit
electricity over long distances.

And from that that

point on.

He really held fast to that

and is eventually.

Proven correct.

As alternating current
comes closer to being realized.

Thomas Edison electric empire.

Is about to face it's greatest.

Most famous
inventor in the world.

Thomas Edison.

Is being challenged
by an unknown genius.

Nikola Tesla.

To break Edison's
monopoly on electricity.

Tesla must prove that alternating current
can do more than just like the world.

Can also power machines.

Gentleman.

Good afternoon.

No communicators.

Two phases.

One fifth of a horsepower.

Give you the
future of electricity.

Alternating current.

Tesla system can power a
motor with almost no friction.

Can deliver the power more
efficiently than noticeable.

Finding an alternating current

motor that can be used to help compete
with the DC systems was important.

The motors would be the
future does success this industry.

Now alternating current not only
turns on the lighted great distances.

Can power almost
any kind of machine.

Motorola allows you to use.

Electricity for all sorts of applications
running elevators wanting fans.

Wanting dental drills.

Tesla's model comes along

and is the game treasured.

Now that Tesla has
perfected his idea.

Time to sell it.

Tesla's motor gets the attention
of George we sting house.

One of the richest
men in america.

Westinghouse was kind of.

Railroad baron.

For many years

and

he saw electricity as
this untapped market

as a way to really
make his fortune.

I'll pay five thousand
dollars for a sixty day option.

Then.

Contingent on purchase.

Sixty thousand dollars total.

And I'll cover legal fees.

Rejected offer.

Options contingents legal
fees this is the talk of someone

investing in something he
does not believe will succeed.

Electricity you will sell.

For every horsepower.

You pay two dollars fifty cents.

Westinghouse except.

And pays the modern day
equivalent of some two million dollars

to secure the rights
to Tesla's patterns.

Together.

Tesla and we sting house will build
a power system to rival Edison's.

But one technical
hurdle remains.

The high voltage needed to
send electricity over long distances.

And power large machines.

Can be deadly.

It's alternating
current is great

but you have to work
out all of the installation.

All of the safety devices.

Because the hundred
thousand volts will kill you.

To solve the problem.

Tesla looks to a new device
developed by European engineers.

Called a transformer.

As you can have a transformer

the basically one that
hundred thousand and boat.

Current gets to

the location where
you want to use it

you can step down from
one hundred thousand

to one hundred and ten volts
which is safer inside your house.

Because the transformer allow
allows you to do that step-down function.

Transformer will not only make
alternating current possible.

It will make it safe.

But in spite of the
advantages of ac power.

Edison is committed
to building his empire

with direct current.

Edison's great weakness.

His his inability.

To shift is mindset.

As the.

Industry changes.

As.

The market changes.

He wasn't going to let
naysayers prove him wrong

that he could solve the problem

he was invested both financially

and his personal rubber.

Tesla and we sting house
want to power.

Edison is ready
to give it to them.

Battle lines have been drawn.

War over electricity.

Thomas Edison strategy the prove
that alternating current is deadly.

Know so dangerous

is untested unproved
an uncontrollable.

Imagine being the first
person to get in a hot air balloon

before they invented
a way to landed.

What is your system.

There is no danger to
life held the or person

with any current generated
by Edison dynamos.

Edison believe that the ac
system as much more dangerous

because of the higher voltages.

And so far his standpoint
this was a crucial prompt

and there are certainly
plenty of other people who see

this as a potential danger
in the streets of the city.

Prove his point.

Edison's team
decides to go negative.

Edison managers come to Edison and
they say we're going to have to take this.

Anti a c campaign
up another notch.

He's got so much at stake.

That he's willing to do.

This smear campaign.

Conduct experiments with dogs.

Are demonstrations for
the newspapers and public

to show that larger
animals could also be

electrocuted.

To seal his case against ac.

Edison needs to
go beyond animals.

Edison is asked to advise
the state of new York

on a new way to
execute criminals.

For the first ever
electric chair.

Edison recommends
his rival system.

Thousand volts course through
convicted murderer William kindler.

But it's not an instant death.

Turns out to be quite
a gruesome execution.

Which serves as

quite well because that's what he wanted to
show he wanted to show vary dramatically.

That alternating current.

Is what he calls
the death current.

They could have
determine better with an axe.

Says how alternating
current will be judged.

As the battle for
power turns ugly

we sting house needs a
major public victory for ac.

Current wars are about to have

the ultimate showdown.

Do you know it's so dangerous

is untested unproven
uncontrollable.

Thomas Edison is waging
a relentless campaign.

To defend his
direct current system.

Against Nikola Tesla.

And this backer
we sting house electric.

Final showdown.

Will come at one of the largest
natural power sources in north america.

Niagara falls.

The niagara falls power company

is looking for a way to
harness up to two hundred

and twenty five thousand
cubic feet of water

flowing down the
falls every second.

Generate the power equivalent of
more than a million tons of coal per year.

Edison meets with his board.

To pitches plan for the
falls degenerate DC power.

Gentleman.

As.

We have a proposal.

We'd like to submit

to the niagara commission.

Edison like x already
got a proposal.

Edison electric.

Is

Becoming a new company.

General electric.

Behind Edison's back the board decides
that alternating current is the way to go.

And they know that
Edison will never

go along with this.

So they shut amount out of.

Any of the proceedings.

About this camp.

It'd be nothing without me.

And you're driving
into the ground.

It's time to turn a profit.

Your penny counters.

You can't see anything
but your ledgers.

Leave the business to us.

Edison has lost the
confidence of his board.

And control of his empire.

Edison's very bitter

he's the brains
behind the company is

technically the reason
the company exists.

They just care about.

What's going to make the money.

Edison will be forced to watch the battle
for niagara falls from the sidelines.

Of Nikola Tesla makes
the pitch from we sting house.

Gentleman.

As for Nikola Tesla.

At pleasure.

Ten.

Generators.

Two thousand

two hundred and fifty volts the to produce
and thirty seven thousand kilowatts.

Here.

A current is increased to twenty
two thousand volts for travel.

How far.

Albany.

New York city.

Chicago.

This will revolutionize
the industry as we know.

Niagara contract goes
to a we sting house.

Tesla's alternating current wins
the pivotal battle of the current.

But for we sting house

it may be too little too late.

I Tesla's licensing fees.

The crushing us.

Endless legal
battles with Edison

and fees owed to Tesla.

Have driven
we sting house electric

to the brink of bankruptcy.

To keep we sting house in business

and save his
vision for ac power.

Tesla decides to give up the
millions of dollars in license the.

He's entitled to.

The a move that cost
Tesla his personal fortune.

People don't realize that.

Tesla suffer from mental illness

today we call it always cd.

Obsessive compulsive disorder

but back then we
were clueless about this

and so because of this
obsessiveness that he had

it impaired his
work later in life.

When he should be enjoying
the fruits of his endeavors.

Other people were
rating is patterns

other people are capitalizing on his
world without giving a proper credit

and he was suffering
from mental illness.

At Tesla will live out his
last years in a new York hotel.

In nineteen forty three.

He died penniless.

And alone.

His rival Thomas Edison will be awarded
over one thousand patents in his career.

More than any other inventor.

Losing the current
worst and Nikola Tesla.

Would Mark the most
bitter defeat of his career.

In the electricity
battle you see Edison

probably at his most human.

He allows his ego to take over.

Edison bought into
his own mr a little bit

he loved being the
wizard of menlo park arc

he loved being.

Publicly acclaimed genius.

And.

The idea of losing a
big battle and electricity.

Was just something
that he didn't want to face.

Tesla's alternating current would go
on to power america for the next century.

And beyond.

Battle between Edison
and DC and Tesla and a see.

Was ultimately won by Tesla.

Today ninety nine
point ninety nine percent

of all the electricity
in this country is

generating distributed
using alternating current

and that comes down to the
ideas and the vision that Tesla had

in the late eighteen eighties

Tesla's clearly the winner

of the battle of ac versus DC.