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Executioner's current : Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the invention of the electric chair by Richard D. Moran is a history book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Executioner's current : Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the invention of the electric chair about?

The amazing story of how the electric chair developed not out of the desire for a method of execution more humane than hanging but of an effort by one nineteenth century electric company to discredit the other. In 1882, Thomas Edison launched the age of electricity by lighting up a portion of Manhattan with his direct current (DC) system. Six years later George Westinghouse lit up Buffalo with his less expensive alternating current (AC). They quickly became locked in a battle for market share. Richard Moran shows that Edison, in order to maintain commercial dominance, set out to blacken the image of Westinghouses AC by persuading the State of New York to electrocute condemned criminals with AC current. Westinghouse, determined to keep AC from becoming known as the executioners current, fought to stop the first electrocution, claiming that use of the electric chair constituted cruel and unusual punishment. The legal battle that ensued ended when the Supreme Court refused to rule. The electrocution of William Kemler went forward in New Yorks Auburn Pen- itentiary in August 1890and was horribly botched. Moran makes clear how this industry tug-of-war raised many profound and disturbing

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Author

Richard D. Moran

Publisher

A.A. Knopf; Alfred A. Knopf

Published

2002

Language

EN

ISBN

9780375410598

Category

history

Subjects

Social Science, History, Social_sciences

Rating

4 / 5 (22 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-14