In Defense of George Westinghouse Jr.
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Date: 2022-12-27
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Comments and reviews: 20
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Great to see you giving George Westinghouse the dignity that he deserves.
None of this surprises me however. I read a book about Westinghouse when I was in grade 5, and he's been a hero to me ever since. In the age of 'robber barons', where most industrialists were monsters, Westinghouse was uniquely descent, kind and caring.
My favourite story involved an irate employee who was frustrated at being unable to successfully complete a task. His timing was poor however, because at the same moment he was having his meltdown on the shop floor, Westinghouse happened to be giving a tour to some dignitaries. One can only imagine how other employers might have reacted. Westinghouse however, approached the employee and calmly asked him what the problem was. After the shock at seeing his boss subsided, the man explained the problem. Westinghouse put on a work vest and proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes showing the man exactly how to do the task correctly. When he was satisfied that the man understood. he simply continued with the tour.
Edison has 1093 patents to his name vs Westinghouse with 380. One might be inclined to think Edison won in this regard, until you realize that Westinghouse allowed his employees to file patents in their own names, whereas all inventions by Edison's employees were filed in Edison's name. Edison was not a patent troll. but he leaned in this direction, whereas Westinghouse's patents. were all genuine.
Imagine a World where people treat others, including their employees, with this level of respect.
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Great to see you giving George Westinghouse the dignity that he deserves.
None of this surprises me however. I read a book about Westinghouse when I was in grade 5, and he's been a hero to me ever since. In the age of 'robber barons', where most industrialists were monsters, Westinghouse was uniquely descent, kind and caring.
My favourite story involved an irate employee who was frustrated at being unable to successfully complete a task. His timing was poor however, because at the same moment he was having his meltdown on the shop floor, Westinghouse happened to be giving a tour to some dignitaries. One can only imagine how other employers might have reacted. Westinghouse however, approached the employee and calmly asked him what the problem was. After the shock at seeing his boss subsided, the man explained the problem. Westinghouse put on a work vest and proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes showing the man exactly how to do the task correctly. When he was satisfied that the man understood. he simply continued with the tour.
Edison has 1093 patents to his name vs Westinghouse with 380. One might be inclined to think Edison won in this regard, until you realize that Westinghouse allowed his employees to file patents in their own names, whereas all inventions by Edison's employees were filed in Edison's name. Edison was not a patent troll. but he leaned in this direction, whereas Westinghouse's patents. were all genuine.
Imagine a World where people treat others, including their employees, with this level of respect.
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Little
Very well done. The original source documents are what make this so definitive. When I was attending engineering school in the early 1970s we were certainly aware of Tesla but he wasn't considered some god. He was just another contributor to electrical science. As far as I can determine, this Tesla deification began in the mid-1990s probably coinciding with the widespread use of the internet. Almost anything that you hear about Tesla today is certain to be incorrect unless of coarse its from one of your excellent videos! I especially get a laugh out of all the quotations that are attributed to him. He said almost none of those things. As a moderator for a Tesla coil and high voltage FB group I spend a lot of time debunking and weeding out these things. Thanks.
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Very well done. The original source documents are what make this so definitive. When I was attending engineering school in the early 1970s we were certainly aware of Tesla but he wasn't considered some god. He was just another contributor to electrical science. As far as I can determine, this Tesla deification began in the mid-1990s probably coinciding with the widespread use of the internet. Almost anything that you hear about Tesla today is certain to be incorrect unless of coarse its from one of your excellent videos! I especially get a laugh out of all the quotations that are attributed to him. He said almost none of those things. As a moderator for a Tesla coil and high voltage FB group I spend a lot of time debunking and weeding out these things. Thanks.
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John
3: 41 If Tesla was paid a lump sum for his royalties in 1896, it was impossible that he ripped up a contract for those royalties. In 1891.
But, PBS reported that Tesla agreed to rescind the royalty clause in 1891, not that he ripped up the contract as you state.
It seems plausible that Tesla rescinded royalties in 1891. Then in 1896 Westinghouse honorably repaid Tesla for rescinding the royalties. The payment was $216, 600 ($7. 65 million in 2022). It wasn't until that time that Westinghouse felt it ethical to announce the completion of the purchase. Perhaps Tesla should be reprimanded for accepting $7. 65 million in 2022 dollars. That would not make anyone one of the richest men in history.
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3: 41 If Tesla was paid a lump sum for his royalties in 1896, it was impossible that he ripped up a contract for those royalties. In 1891.
But, PBS reported that Tesla agreed to rescind the royalty clause in 1891, not that he ripped up the contract as you state.
It seems plausible that Tesla rescinded royalties in 1891. Then in 1896 Westinghouse honorably repaid Tesla for rescinding the royalties. The payment was $216, 600 ($7. 65 million in 2022). It wasn't until that time that Westinghouse felt it ethical to announce the completion of the purchase. Perhaps Tesla should be reprimanded for accepting $7. 65 million in 2022 dollars. That would not make anyone one of the richest men in history.
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Helen
Self promotion seems to last a lot longer than the lives of the self promoters. Tesla, Edison, and Marconi are far better know and liked than Westinghouse, Maxwell, Lodge, Faraday, Cavendish, and Steinmetz. Thank you for bringing us the stories of some of the less promoted. Didn't Westinghouse witness a horrible train accident as a kid that was due to the limitations of the braking system of the time which was the brakeman having to run on the roof of the train cars and turn a wheel on each car? I think I read somewhere that's what inspired him to invent the air brake. His inventions saved many lives. I'm so looking forward to your book.
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Self promotion seems to last a lot longer than the lives of the self promoters. Tesla, Edison, and Marconi are far better know and liked than Westinghouse, Maxwell, Lodge, Faraday, Cavendish, and Steinmetz. Thank you for bringing us the stories of some of the less promoted. Didn't Westinghouse witness a horrible train accident as a kid that was due to the limitations of the braking system of the time which was the brakeman having to run on the roof of the train cars and turn a wheel on each car? I think I read somewhere that's what inspired him to invent the air brake. His inventions saved many lives. I'm so looking forward to your book.
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William
Why anyone thinks they can know someone without actually knowing them is confounding to me. What adult hasnt thought they knew someone was a good person until something that person did proved otherwise? How many serial killers where thought to be a good guys by people that knew them before they got caught? If you didnt even know someone then you dont know them period. Lets stop acting like we knew people that are long dead. The only time any one does it is to either villainize someone or to make them out to be a hero. How often do you think thats accurate? So much of history is big fish tales.
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Why anyone thinks they can know someone without actually knowing them is confounding to me. What adult hasnt thought they knew someone was a good person until something that person did proved otherwise? How many serial killers where thought to be a good guys by people that knew them before they got caught? If you didnt even know someone then you dont know them period. Lets stop acting like we knew people that are long dead. The only time any one does it is to either villainize someone or to make them out to be a hero. How often do you think thats accurate? So much of history is big fish tales.
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Joseph
Great video, Kathy. The magnitude of electrical production and distribution brought an unmeasureable amount of human evolution. One of the greatest threats to mankind was Lenin, Stalin, and the rest of that lot. Westinghouse was primary in the development, production and and command communications of NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Those weapons and systems were the only thing that protected Americans (and the rest of the world) from the Totalitarian Communists demise. 99. 9% of Americans are unaware of that fact(do to the necessitated secrecy of the programs, companies, and personnel involved.
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Great video, Kathy. The magnitude of electrical production and distribution brought an unmeasureable amount of human evolution. One of the greatest threats to mankind was Lenin, Stalin, and the rest of that lot. Westinghouse was primary in the development, production and and command communications of NUCLEAR WEAPONS. Those weapons and systems were the only thing that protected Americans (and the rest of the world) from the Totalitarian Communists demise. 99. 9% of Americans are unaware of that fact(do to the necessitated secrecy of the programs, companies, and personnel involved.
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Paul
There's a strange cult-like overvaluing of Tesla. That's not to say Tesla wasn't an important inventor and contributor to the history of practical development of electrification. It's just that people latch on to him as an example of personal worries that 'big forces really control the world and they hated _____'. Insert into the blank whatever it is that you feel has been insufficiently recognized. It's a conspiracy theory mindset that doesn't past scrutiny of primary sources.
Thank you for giving us the real story!
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There's a strange cult-like overvaluing of Tesla. That's not to say Tesla wasn't an important inventor and contributor to the history of practical development of electrification. It's just that people latch on to him as an example of personal worries that 'big forces really control the world and they hated _____'. Insert into the blank whatever it is that you feel has been insufficiently recognized. It's a conspiracy theory mindset that doesn't past scrutiny of primary sources.
Thank you for giving us the real story!
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Music
Thomas Edison has also been somewhat demonized. Somehow his greatest invention, the modern industrial research laboratory, has been twisted into the image of a sweatshop were talented engineers had their ideas stolen from them. Indeed Alexander Graham Bells company followed Edisons model and created Bell Laboratories. This is why we have transistors, telecommunication satellites, lasers and God knows what else. Great innovations happen when people work together rather than in isolation.
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Thomas Edison has also been somewhat demonized. Somehow his greatest invention, the modern industrial research laboratory, has been twisted into the image of a sweatshop were talented engineers had their ideas stolen from them. Indeed Alexander Graham Bells company followed Edisons model and created Bell Laboratories. This is why we have transistors, telecommunication satellites, lasers and God knows what else. Great innovations happen when people work together rather than in isolation.
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Question
Dear Kathy,
I loved this video lecture as I love all those that I've watched so far.
Thank you for setting the record straight for me; this helps me enjoy the history that much more.
I've received your book yesterday and I started reading it last night. This morning on my commute I was undecided: should I watch your new video or read on in your book? Well, I'll continue with the book on my way home.
Have a great day.
Cheers,
Mark
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Dear Kathy,
I loved this video lecture as I love all those that I've watched so far.
Thank you for setting the record straight for me; this helps me enjoy the history that much more.
I've received your book yesterday and I started reading it last night. This morning on my commute I was undecided: should I watch your new video or read on in your book? Well, I'll continue with the book on my way home.
Have a great day.
Cheers,
Mark
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Motorhead1
WABCO air brakes made train travel safe.
George Westinghouse a hero.
Tesla is an urban myth character.
In University Physics Engineering class we used Steinmetz equations nothing from Tesla.
Hungarian engineer s invented first AC induction transformer and Tesla's six wire three phase motor never used.
Although he did invent many good things Tesla had poor knowledge in modern physics and was sadly mentally ill.
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WABCO air brakes made train travel safe.
George Westinghouse a hero.
Tesla is an urban myth character.
In University Physics Engineering class we used Steinmetz equations nothing from Tesla.
Hungarian engineer s invented first AC induction transformer and Tesla's six wire three phase motor never used.
Although he did invent many good things Tesla had poor knowledge in modern physics and was sadly mentally ill.
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Peter
Tesla's enormous respect and affection for George Westinghouse is readily apparent with just a bit of digging through the historic record. George Westinghouse was an atypical man of his time in many ways. In the end, the Electric Company was his pride and joy and its loss from the Panic of 1907 crushed and ultimately crushed his soul. He's a great man who should be honored for a life well spent at improving life quality for everyone.
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Tesla's enormous respect and affection for George Westinghouse is readily apparent with just a bit of digging through the historic record. George Westinghouse was an atypical man of his time in many ways. In the end, the Electric Company was his pride and joy and its loss from the Panic of 1907 crushed and ultimately crushed his soul. He's a great man who should be honored for a life well spent at improving life quality for everyone.
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Lars
Regarding the mentioning of buried AC cables from 19: 30 onwards: Did they know at that time, that the repetitive charging and discharging of the capacitance of insulated cables requires a current, that over a certain distance will make use of the whole load-carrying capacity of the cable, so nothing is left for the consumer? And did they know, that this problem could be overcome with uninsulated wires hung up in masts?
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Regarding the mentioning of buried AC cables from 19: 30 onwards: Did they know at that time, that the repetitive charging and discharging of the capacitance of insulated cables requires a current, that over a certain distance will make use of the whole load-carrying capacity of the cable, so nothing is left for the consumer? And did they know, that this problem could be overcome with uninsulated wires hung up in masts?
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jafinch78
I'm going off on a tangent here with the theme related to hydrostations generators and my conspiracy gripe that comes to mind (among others) for some reason when thinking about this topic. why can't more fluid bearing be critically calculated and integrated into more systems to bring down the expenses and increase the operating lifecycle? I missed this video until now and is great, at the least, as always.
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I'm going off on a tangent here with the theme related to hydrostations generators and my conspiracy gripe that comes to mind (among others) for some reason when thinking about this topic. why can't more fluid bearing be critically calculated and integrated into more systems to bring down the expenses and increase the operating lifecycle? I missed this video until now and is great, at the least, as always.
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John
Kathy, you have done right by George Westinghouse. Recently discovered that in a similar way, he bought, and then invested in the inventor of the electric range and automatic electric toaster - Flint Michigan native Floyd Copeman (and happens to be a grandparent of Linda Ronstadt.
I believe deep digging will reveal that GW in fact, was this way with many others too.
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Kathy, you have done right by George Westinghouse. Recently discovered that in a similar way, he bought, and then invested in the inventor of the electric range and automatic electric toaster - Flint Michigan native Floyd Copeman (and happens to be a grandparent of Linda Ronstadt.
I believe deep digging will reveal that GW in fact, was this way with many others too.
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pyropulse
I don't get how this idea is 'mainstream' when the actual research shows the opposite. It is like a mind virus enters into people and they just blindly repeat the same thing. But it is worse than that because we have so-called 'professionals' blindly repeating this narrative.
This is why I don't trust a single word anyone says until I verify it for myself
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I don't get how this idea is 'mainstream' when the actual research shows the opposite. It is like a mind virus enters into people and they just blindly repeat the same thing. But it is worse than that because we have so-called 'professionals' blindly repeating this narrative.
This is why I don't trust a single word anyone says until I verify it for myself
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JS
The magical super-intellect Nikola Tesla has become in pop culture has required Westinghouse and Edison to be cast as evil thugs. They were all just people who earned a level of power and notoriety that has historically been very hard for men to deal with. Westinghouse seems to have been more successful at attaining personal happiness than either Tesla or Edison.
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The magical super-intellect Nikola Tesla has become in pop culture has required Westinghouse and Edison to be cast as evil thugs. They were all just people who earned a level of power and notoriety that has historically been very hard for men to deal with. Westinghouse seems to have been more successful at attaining personal happiness than either Tesla or Edison.
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Zhu
I've always known this of Westinghouse. I only read, though disagreed, with the false Tesla stories later and it always confused me why they were so popular. I suppose it is the hero worship of Tesla who did some great things and some great failures as everyone does. People never seem to have a nuanced view of famed people viewing them as saints or demons.
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I've always known this of Westinghouse. I only read, though disagreed, with the false Tesla stories later and it always confused me why they were so popular. I suppose it is the hero worship of Tesla who did some great things and some great failures as everyone does. People never seem to have a nuanced view of famed people viewing them as saints or demons.
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Luis
I often play this old videogame (originally a board game) 1830 robbers and barons, which is loosely speaking railroad monopoly (but better) and you have to play as one of said robber barons, I rarely pick up Westinghouse, but after watching your fascinating apology of him, I will from now on.
Also thanks for calrifying all those legends about Tesla.
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I often play this old videogame (originally a board game) 1830 robbers and barons, which is loosely speaking railroad monopoly (but better) and you have to play as one of said robber barons, I rarely pick up Westinghouse, but after watching your fascinating apology of him, I will from now on.
Also thanks for calrifying all those legends about Tesla.
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GoCoyote
As an IBEW electrician, during my apprenticeship classes Tesla got a couple of mentions, but was not considered to be more than a clever engineer who, along with others, furthered our understanding of the practical use of electrical power. From what I have learned since, he was a total whack job, who seems to attract more whack jobs to this day.
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As an IBEW electrician, during my apprenticeship classes Tesla got a couple of mentions, but was not considered to be more than a clever engineer who, along with others, furthered our understanding of the practical use of electrical power. From what I have learned since, he was a total whack job, who seems to attract more whack jobs to this day.
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William
Westinghouse asked Tesla to undo the $2. 50 per HP mainly because of the economic turndown - the Panic of 1907. Also interesting, in later times JP Morgan noticed Tesla in poverty and asked Westinghouse to give him a pension, after all Tesla did ensure of Westinghouse's successes with the invention of the induction motor ( sorry Ferraris )
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Westinghouse asked Tesla to undo the $2. 50 per HP mainly because of the economic turndown - the Panic of 1907. Also interesting, in later times JP Morgan noticed Tesla in poverty and asked Westinghouse to give him a pension, after all Tesla did ensure of Westinghouse's successes with the invention of the induction motor ( sorry Ferraris )
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