Electricity History: Westinghouse’s Birthday
George Westinghouse was born on October 6, 1846 in Central Bridge, NY. He became a prominent entrepreneur and engineer who, as a leading promoter of the alternating current system, played a major role in the development of the modern electric system.
George Westinghouse was born on October 6, 1846 in Central Bridge, NY. He became a prominent entrepreneur and engineer who, as a leading promoter of the alternating current system, played a major role in the development of the modern electric system.
His collaboration with Nikola Tesla led to the standard U.S. power-distribution model (three-phase, 60-cycle AC), a system used to deploy the first long-range power network with the installation of AC generators at Niagara Falls to produce electricity for distribution in Buffalo.
“Electricity fascinated his imagination. He began to experiment with it in other directions, and fitted up a laboratory for research work. In 1885 or 1886 he organized the Westinghouse Electric Company, which has outgrown all its other undertakings….
“A Big Man with a Hundred Thousand Horsepower Inside.” Excerpt from The Wilmerding News, September 30, 1904.
