[Phono-L] Edison vs Tesla

[DanKj]

"The History Channel" is running yet another mis-informed story about the alleged 
"feud" between Tesla and Edison.  "Edison hated Tesla, Tesla was cheated", blah blah 
blah.

The reality is that both of them hardly ever mentioned the other,  and when each had 
a disaster, the other responded with kindness.  When Tesla's lab burned to the 
ground, he was invited to bring his work to the Edison lab in NJ - and he accepted. 
When Edison had a huge fire in 1914, Tesla sent a messsage of sympathy.  Hate? 
Hardly.

The whole "feud" business is a conflation of the brief "war of the currents" between 
Edison's system and Westinghouse. Westinghouse bought many Tesla patents (which 
required a great deal of Westinghouse work to make practical) , thus the confusion. 
Once Edison got out of the electricity generation business, there was no conflict.

Both Tesla and Edison were brilliant, great men,  but making them into petulant, 
battling children diminishes both.   They had their strengths and weaknesses, as do 
we all.