Chapter 04 of 5
The World’s Fair Duel
A high-stakes bidding war for the 1893 Chicago Expo.
- The Stakes
A Global Stage
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was the ultimate marketing opportunity. The winner would light the first 'all-electric' fair in history.
- The Prize
The White City
Organizers wanted to illuminate a massive complex of neoclassical buildings. This required more power than any existing city had ever managed.
- Innovation Gap
DC's Distance Problem
Edison's Direct Current (DC) could only travel about a mile without losing power. Lighting the massive fairgrounds with DC was a logistical nightmare.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
How did Westinghouse circumvent Edison’s patent on light bulbs for the World's Fair?
💡 Edison vs. Westinghouse: The Current War
- 01Edison’s Stubborn SparkThe Wizard of Menlo Park and his rigid vision for Direct Current.
- 02The Westinghouse ChallengeGeorge Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla unite to champion AC.
- 03Edison’s Darkest TacticsDesperation leads to a smear campaign and public electrocutions.
- 04The World’s Fair DuelA high-stakes bidding war for the 1893 Chicago Expo.
- 05The Bitter VictoryEdison loses his namesake company while Westinghouse wins the war.