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"They would have done better, using an axe!" - GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE

...When the first execution via electric chair took place in Auburn Prison in New York State in 1890, William Kemmler was the recipient of this new "more humane form of capital punishment"...It turned out that it wasn't!

...Then already famous inventor Thomas Edison had been a supporter of the electrocution method, not because of its "ethics", insomuch as it was a way to debunk rival George Westinghouse's "alternating current" form of electricity, simply because AC was actually a better method of maintaining the electric current's strength over longer distances for effective distribution, thus handling a larger service grid...Edison's "direct current" (DC), although stronger at the source, would lose its strength after traveling short distances, therefore requiring more generating stations and smaller grids...

...With the electric chair, Edison hit upon the happy thought of using one of Westinghouse's AC generators to do the dirty work, then publicize the event, emphasizing upon the "dangers" of subscribing to Westinghouse's electrical service, while claiming his own DC power was "safer in the long run"...It turned out to be an unsuccessful pitch, as AC power eventually became the victor of the then-famous "War of the Currents", and continues as the standard we use today...

See Also: @ the Corner of... 36...