George Westinghouse

While most know Thomas Edison for his invention of the light bulb, his counterpart of the generation, George Westinghouse, is too often overlooked. Westinghouse, however, became known as one of the most prolific inventors and businessmen of the Industrial Revolution. In this biography, get to know the man whose teachers suspected was mentally disabled and quit college after one semester, yet founded more than 60 different companies employing 50,000 people and received 361 U.S. patents. Westinghouse later fought the Battle of the Currents" with Thomas Edison and won. He, with his engineers, provided power and light for the "Great White City," the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. They harnessed the massive power of Niagara Falls and sent it over wires to light Buffalo and eventually the Northeast. His electric engines powered trains, and his air brakes stopped them. Through this book, understand how Westinghouse's scientific contributions shaped and forever changed the world"--