War of Currents

E396356

The War of Currents was a late-19th-century technological and business conflict between advocates of alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) electrical systems, most famously pitting Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse against Thomas Edison.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
War of Currents canonical 3
The Current War 2

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf business conflict ⓘ
historical event ⓘ
technological conflict ⓘ
cause competition over electric power standards ⓘ
economic rivalry in electricity markets ⓘ
conflictWith Edison Electric Light Company ⓘ
Westinghouse Electric Company ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
describedBySource history of electricity ⓘ
endTime 1890s ⓘ
field electric power industry ⓘ
electrical engineering ⓘ
hasAspect patent disputes ⓘ
public relations campaigns ⓘ
safety controversies ⓘ
technological rivalry ⓘ
hasEffect adoption of AC as dominant power system ⓘ
development of electrical grid infrastructure ⓘ
formation of General Electric ⓘ
public debate over electrical safety ⓘ
standardization of power transmission voltages ⓘ
hasMainTopic alternating current ⓘ
direct current ⓘ
hasParticipant Edison Electric Light Company ⓘ
General Electric ⓘ
George Westinghouse ⓘ
Nikola Tesla ⓘ
Thomas Edison ⓘ
linked to: Thomas Alva Edison

Westinghouse Electric Company ⓘ
involvesTechnology DC distribution system ⓘ
long‑distance power transmission ⓘ
polyphase AC system ⓘ
transformer ⓘ
mainSubject AC power transmission ⓘ
DC power distribution ⓘ
notableEvent Chicago World’s Columbian Exposition 1893 ⓘ
Niagara Falls power project ⓘ
development of the electric chair ⓘ
public demonstrations of AC electrocution ⓘ
opposedBy Thomas Edison ⓘ
linked to: Thomas Alva Edison
result continued niche use of DC in specific applications ⓘ
dominance of AC for power transmission ⓘ
significance shaped modern electric power systems ⓘ
startTime 1880s ⓘ
supportedBy George Westinghouse ⓘ
Nikola Tesla ⓘ
Westinghouse Electric Company ⓘ
timePeriod late 19th century ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Pearl Street Station → relatedTo → War of Currents ⓘ
Katherine Waterston → notableWork → The Current War ⓘ
linked to: War of Currents
David Glasser → notableWork → The Current War ⓘ
linked to: War of Currents
The Last Days of Night → subject → War of Currents ⓘ