An extensive history of three brilliant inventors reveals the high stakes and drama involved in the development of electricity during the late 19th century. Thomas Edison, already a beloved celebrity by the time he became known for a commercially viable lightbulb, was a staunch advocate for direct current (DC). When Nikola Tesla told Edison his idea for the less expensive and more sustainable alternating current (AC), Edison rejected it and continued his attempt to light Manhattan using DC. George Westinghouse, a keen, competitive, and unusually humane businessman, teamed up with Tesla to develop AC and use it to successfully light multiple cities. Furious, Edison retaliated by starting a rumor campaign asserting that AC was dangerous and convincing the inventor of the electric chair to use AC rather than DC power, thus equating AC with death in the public’s eye. The race between AC and DC continued, with the players competing to light a world’s fair before one form of current finally pulled ahead. Meticulous research and a compelling story make this a fascinating, accessible bit of history. (Age 12 and older)

The spellbinding true account of the scientific competition to light the world with electricity.

In the mid-to-late-nineteenth century, a burgeoning science called electricity promised to shine new light on a rousing nation. Inventive and ambitious minds were hard at work. Soon that spark was fanned, and a fiery war was under way to be the first to light—and run—the world with electricity. Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of direct current (DC), engaged in a brutal battle with Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, the inventors of alternating current (AC). There would be no ties in this race—only a winner and a loser. The prize: a nationwide monopoly in electric current. Brimming with action, suspense, and rich historical and biographical information about these brilliant inventors, here is the rousing account of one of the world’s defining scientific competitions.

A Christy Ottaviano Book