Noah hawley on a thriller in which thomas edison and george. Specifically, it explores edisons attempts to drive westinghouse and his. The oscarwinning screenwriter and novelist reimagines the feud between westinghouse and edison when new york was going electric in. What to know about the real epic rivalry between thomas edison, nikola tesla and george westinghouse and the invention of the electric chair. Novel recreates charged rivalry between edison and. Moores novel, the last days of night, follows edison and westinghouses rivalry.
In the last days of night, graham moore takes us back to the dawn of lightelectric lightinto a world of invention and skulduggery, populated by the likes of edison, westinghouse, tesla, and the novels hero, a young lawyer named paul cravath a name that will resonate with ambitious law students everywhere. He tells nprs scott simon that he was eager to recreate the time period in which america was being lit. We dont know how long edison s formal education lasted, but it was shockingly brief, and by the age of twelve he had left school for good to sell newspapers and food on. In the 1880s, thomas edison and george westinghouse battled over control of. Imagine being in new york, circa 1888, when gas lamps still.
Edison, tesla, westinghouse and the race to light the world by mike winchell, 260 pages. How edison, tesla and westinghouse battled to electrify. Paul cravath, a young attorney in late 19h century new york city, is drawn into a battle of the titans. Edison, tesla, westinghouse, and the race to electrify the. The flaws of thomas edison, both real and imagined. The real history that inspired the movie the current war. Westinghouse recognized what edison was up to and wrote the inventor a letter, stating, i believe there has been a systemic attempt on the part. During their bitter dispute, dubbed the war of the currents, edison championed the directcurrent system, in which electrical current flows steadily in one direction, while tesla and westinghouse. The last days of night turns the current war into a thriller. His new book is a thriller built around the socalled electricity wars fought over a century ago between the rival inventors thomas edison and george westinghouse. His new book is a thriller built around the socalled electricity wars. Beginning in 1880, the story centers on the rivalry between thomas edison benedict cumberbatch and george westinghouse michael shannon as they race to wire american cities for electricity. In addition to fighting over light bulb patents, edison and westinghouse were competing over who had the better system of electrical distribution.
As i started researching this book, there was a long period of going. The fact that the author, graham moore, also wrote the script for one of my favorite movies the imitation game made it even better. Three menedison, tesla and westinghouse, all contributed to the invention and establishment of electricity in the united states. Instead of writing about one of these great titans edison, tesla or westinghouse, jill jonnes chose to write about all three in one book. Noah hawley on a thriller in which thomas edison and. He tells nprs scott simon that he was eager to recreate the time period in which america was being lit up for the first time. Jonness book makes us think about the dramatic changes electricity brought. He would later found the prominent new york law firm that still bears his name. Westinghouse offers edison a partnership, but edison behaves like a cad, disparaging westinghouse s lethal technology and executing dogs, sheep and. Edison, tesla, westinghouse, and the race to electrify the jill jonnes 4. Beginning in 1880, the story centers on the rivalry between thomas edison benedict cumberbatch and george westinghouse michael shannon as they race to.
This novel s brilliant journey into the past begins in 1888, when the use of electricity was in its infancy and two great inventors, thomas edison and george westinghouse, were fighting to control its spread across the united states and to reap the wealth and glory that would follow. Inventor thomas alva edison 18471931 and industrialist george westinghouse 18461914 were key players in the making of the american electric and power industry. Edison struggled to introduce his radical new direct current dc technology into the hurlyburly of new york city as tesla and westinghouse challenged his dominance with their alternating current ac, thus setting the stage for one of the eeriest feuds in american corporate history, the war of the electric currents. Morgans new york mansion to westinghouses subjugation of niagara falls.