Which inventor led a campaign against alternating current to associate electricity with danger?

Which inventor led a campaign against alternating current to associate electricity with danger?

• A. George Westinghouse
• B. Thomas Edison
• C. Nikola Tesla
• D. Michael Faraday

Answer: (B)

This question taps into the historical campaign to cast alternating current as dangerous during the War of Currents. The inventor who led that anti-AC push was Thomas Edison. He promoted direct current for power distribution and used public demonstrations, media coverage, and symbolism to portray AC as hazardous. His strategy included high-profile demonstrations and even supporting the use of the electric chair, aiming to attach a sense of danger to alternating current and protect his DC business interests. By contrast, George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla championed AC and demonstrated its practicality for long-distance transmission, while Michael Faraday was an early scientist whose foundational work long preceded these modern campaigns. So, the person who led the effort to associate electricity with danger through anti-AC campaigning is Thomas Edison.

This question taps into the historical campaign to cast alternating current as dangerous during the War of Currents. The inventor who led that anti-AC push was Thomas Edison. He promoted direct current for power distribution and used public demonstrations, media coverage, and symbolism to portray AC as hazardous. His strategy included high-profile demonstrations and even supporting the use of the electric chair, aiming to attach a sense of danger to alternating current and protect his DC business interests. By contrast, George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla championed AC and demonstrated its practicality for long-distance transmission, while Michael Faraday was an early scientist whose foundational work long preceded these modern campaigns. So, the person who led the effort to associate electricity with danger through anti-AC campaigning is Thomas Edison.