How Steinmetz became the Wizard of Schenectady
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Date: 2022-12-27
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Comments and reviews: 20
Andrei
I have a personal connection to Steinmetz: I grew up in the Steinmetz Homes housing projects of Schenectady in the late 1960s to mid 1970s.
My biological father and maternal grandfather work at GE Schenectady where Steinmetz became famous.
I lived next to Union College campus and later got accepted there when I was living in a group home in Albany.
I attended Williams College instead but I set the schools half mile run record at a track meet at Union College in 1986.
From this video I learned Steinmetz was high-spirited and idealistic in a location with a cold harsh climate. He had an incredibly strong mind and spirit.
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I have a personal connection to Steinmetz: I grew up in the Steinmetz Homes housing projects of Schenectady in the late 1960s to mid 1970s.
My biological father and maternal grandfather work at GE Schenectady where Steinmetz became famous.
I lived next to Union College campus and later got accepted there when I was living in a group home in Albany.
I attended Williams College instead but I set the schools half mile run record at a track meet at Union College in 1986.
From this video I learned Steinmetz was high-spirited and idealistic in a location with a cold harsh climate. He had an incredibly strong mind and spirit.
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Louis
The one thing that is interesting is his idea about powering the world with electricity. Did he really not know that the electricity would have to produced somehow? In many cases, before nuclear, this was coal and oil. Thus, you take coal and oil out of the home, but burn it elsewhere. I actually had a house in Pennsylvania, this was in the 1980s, that had oil heat, which was very common in the Northeast. I looked at other houses to buy, some quite old, that had old coal fired heat, with automatic coal loaders for the system. They were quite large. So, it seems he did not really think it through in a systems way.
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The one thing that is interesting is his idea about powering the world with electricity. Did he really not know that the electricity would have to produced somehow? In many cases, before nuclear, this was coal and oil. Thus, you take coal and oil out of the home, but burn it elsewhere. I actually had a house in Pennsylvania, this was in the 1980s, that had oil heat, which was very common in the Northeast. I looked at other houses to buy, some quite old, that had old coal fired heat, with automatic coal loaders for the system. They were quite large. So, it seems he did not really think it through in a systems way.
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Dave
My father worked at General Electric in Schenectady, NY his entire career. The Open House we attended in 1976 was amazing. Seeing the immense turbine generators influenced me to become an Electrical Engineer, graduating in 1983. As it turned out, my brother in law works at the GE Lab in Schenectady too. This video was a wonderful review of the immense amount of history and incredible minds behind many of modern life's innovations. Thanks for putting it all together. I really enjoyed it.
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My father worked at General Electric in Schenectady, NY his entire career. The Open House we attended in 1976 was amazing. Seeing the immense turbine generators influenced me to become an Electrical Engineer, graduating in 1983. As it turned out, my brother in law works at the GE Lab in Schenectady too. This video was a wonderful review of the immense amount of history and incredible minds behind many of modern life's innovations. Thanks for putting it all together. I really enjoyed it.
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Herman
A very interesting man. His home was not far from Union College. Sadly, the home was simply demolished with little thought of preservation. His cabin was going to be lost when they re-routed the Mohawk River and eliminated the little stream that it was located on. That's when Ford stepped in. Henry probably just wanted more for his $10K. Steinmetz is buried and has a marker in a cemetery near State Street and Brandywine in Schenectady.
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A very interesting man. His home was not far from Union College. Sadly, the home was simply demolished with little thought of preservation. His cabin was going to be lost when they re-routed the Mohawk River and eliminated the little stream that it was located on. That's when Ford stepped in. Henry probably just wanted more for his $10K. Steinmetz is buried and has a marker in a cemetery near State Street and Brandywine in Schenectady.
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BugAbate
These videos are so good. Your energy and passion really make these stories enjoyable. Ive been studying the history of chemistry and physics long before internet. Always asking, How do we know - that we know - what we know?
These people are fascinating, their lives were so consequential to us. Newton, A Lavoisier, Jacques de Vaucanson, Faraday, Joseph Jacquard, Maxwell, Tesla, Rutherford, Planck, Meitner, Einstein, Feynman
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These videos are so good. Your energy and passion really make these stories enjoyable. Ive been studying the history of chemistry and physics long before internet. Always asking, How do we know - that we know - what we know?
These people are fascinating, their lives were so consequential to us. Newton, A Lavoisier, Jacques de Vaucanson, Faraday, Joseph Jacquard, Maxwell, Tesla, Rutherford, Planck, Meitner, Einstein, Feynman
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ultrasoundguy1
It's unfortunate that many who affect our daily lives are generally unknown even to those you might think would know of them. I'm an electrical engineer and yet I only know of Steinmetz due to a German biography we read in a scientific German class offered at my university 50 years ago, and to add to that I'm an IEEE member which is derived from the AIEE Steinmetz helped found.
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It's unfortunate that many who affect our daily lives are generally unknown even to those you might think would know of them. I'm an electrical engineer and yet I only know of Steinmetz due to a German biography we read in a scientific German class offered at my university 50 years ago, and to add to that I'm an IEEE member which is derived from the AIEE Steinmetz helped found.
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hank
I agree with this dude Schenectady hasn't really changed much it's still kind of a cemetery we barely have GE anymore most of the businesses around here are ghetto as hell and every house that I try to fix or work on is also jacked up and terrible they all look good on the outside but really they're just a skeletons inside the graveyard
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I agree with this dude Schenectady hasn't really changed much it's still kind of a cemetery we barely have GE anymore most of the businesses around here are ghetto as hell and every house that I try to fix or work on is also jacked up and terrible they all look good on the outside but really they're just a skeletons inside the graveyard
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hank
The other thing that I like about Schenectady is that it's slogan is that it's a nice place to live and yet everywhere I go there's trash garbage foot tall potholes 2 ft wide in some areas and if you're not from Schenectady you'll soon find out that it's a nice place to live not really it kind of sucks out here
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The other thing that I like about Schenectady is that it's slogan is that it's a nice place to live and yet everywhere I go there's trash garbage foot tall potholes 2 ft wide in some areas and if you're not from Schenectady you'll soon find out that it's a nice place to live not really it kind of sucks out here
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Ray
Steinmetz provided the necessary math and electrical theory, which transformed electrical from art into science. He almost doubled the efficiency of electrical transformers and motors. For some unknown reasons, many of Steinmetz achievements have been ascribed to Tesla.
Great video, thank you.
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Steinmetz provided the necessary math and electrical theory, which transformed electrical from art into science. He almost doubled the efficiency of electrical transformers and motors. For some unknown reasons, many of Steinmetz achievements have been ascribed to Tesla.
Great video, thank you.
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education
a liberal arts collage in Schenectady. There's is only one liberal arts collage in Schenectady. At that time, there was only one collage of any kind in Schenectady (now we have SCCC too. You could have forsaken a in favor of the definite article: THE liberal arts collage in Schenectady.
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a liberal arts collage in Schenectady. There's is only one liberal arts collage in Schenectady. At that time, there was only one collage of any kind in Schenectady (now we have SCCC too. You could have forsaken a in favor of the definite article: THE liberal arts collage in Schenectady.
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Louis
Of course, it is now possible to transmit DC for massive distances. ABB and Siemens have come up with the switchgear to do so. In IEEE Spectrum there was even an article imagining a worldwide DC grid taking solar power from sunny places like Australia all over. How things change.
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Of course, it is now possible to transmit DC for massive distances. ABB and Siemens have come up with the switchgear to do so. In IEEE Spectrum there was even an article imagining a worldwide DC grid taking solar power from sunny places like Australia all over. How things change.
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Dismythed
Kathy, could you do a series on the history of black hole science, especially on the involvement of Roy Kerr? (Perhaps also an overview of the math) A visual history of black hole science could be a boon to understanding Relativity and reducing complexity in complex systems.
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Kathy, could you do a series on the history of black hole science, especially on the involvement of Roy Kerr? (Perhaps also an overview of the math) A visual history of black hole science could be a boon to understanding Relativity and reducing complexity in complex systems.
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Christopher
I grew up in Schenectady (actually Niskayuna where the GE R & D lab is) and my father worked for GE his whole career. GE and with it Schenectady had its ups and downs over the years but it is cool to see stories about when it was such an important influential place.
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I grew up in Schenectady (actually Niskayuna where the GE R & D lab is) and my father worked for GE his whole career. GE and with it Schenectady had its ups and downs over the years but it is cool to see stories about when it was such an important influential place.
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Ben
How have I never learned more about this Man. I absolutely love this guy. That quote to his response to Ford is hilarious. I just loved how he lived his life and utilized his scientific knowledge to enhance his life in all sorts of facinating ways.
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How have I never learned more about this Man. I absolutely love this guy. That quote to his response to Ford is hilarious. I just loved how he lived his life and utilized his scientific knowledge to enhance his life in all sorts of facinating ways.
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Louis
Love your videos. I worked for GE, mostly in the 1980s. I actually led a couple of corporate R&D funded projects, but not at Schenectady. I have heard about Steinmetz, but this video has lots of personal details that I did not know. Wonderful!
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Love your videos. I worked for GE, mostly in the 1980s. I actually led a couple of corporate R&D funded projects, but not at Schenectady. I have heard about Steinmetz, but this video has lots of personal details that I did not know. Wonderful!
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noam65
Even my 2 year degree in electrical engineering technology required a broad array of non technical courses, as well as a later 4 year degree in business. I'm thrilled with the joy of being well rounded in my education.
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Even my 2 year degree in electrical engineering technology required a broad array of non technical courses, as well as a later 4 year degree in business. I'm thrilled with the joy of being well rounded in my education.
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George
How can you make such a long and detailed video about Steinmetz whilst ignoring at least an explanatory description of his physical condition? The elephant is in the room and you made me walk around it 20 times.
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How can you make such a long and detailed video about Steinmetz whilst ignoring at least an explanatory description of his physical condition? The elephant is in the room and you made me walk around it 20 times.
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Face
Im a 4th generation Schenectady native. Both of my grandfathers worked at GE, my Dad was a GE engineer. Great video! I love Schenectady so many people here have no idea of the importance of this city.
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Im a 4th generation Schenectady native. Both of my grandfathers worked at GE, my Dad was a GE engineer. Great video! I love Schenectady so many people here have no idea of the importance of this city.
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Joe
A physics major friend was as enthusiastic about Steinmetz as you are. I did enjoy the varied curriculum at Carnegie Mellon University where I received my BS in electrical engineering in 1970.
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A physics major friend was as enthusiastic about Steinmetz as you are. I did enjoy the varied curriculum at Carnegie Mellon University where I received my BS in electrical engineering in 1970.
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Colin
My grandmother, Matilda Kuttler, was Steinmetz's housekeeper. She later married my grandfather, Emil Wintzer who was a master tool and die maker at GE. They were both from Alsace.
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My grandmother, Matilda Kuttler, was Steinmetz's housekeeper. She later married my grandfather, Emil Wintzer who was a master tool and die maker at GE. They were both from Alsace.
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