A Contrarian History of Early Electric Power Distribution [Scanning Our Past]

A 1922 article in Electrical World designated Edison as the father of the central station industry [1]. Edison's invention of practical incandescent electric lighting in 1879 was the driving force for the success of Edison's commercial low-voltage short-range direct current (dc) transmission systems in the United States and elsewhere, beginning in 1882. However, in 1886, high-voltage long-range alternating current (ac) transmission systems of Ganz & Co. of Budapest began to compete with Edison's dc systems in Europe, and ac systems of the Westinghouse Electric Co. began to compete with Edison's dc systems in the United States.

Edison reacted by reaching into the toolbox of politicians. This article provides an alternative view into the early history of electric power transmission.