1
00:03:19,918 --> 00:03:21,293
Boys!
2
00:03:32,793 --> 00:03:34,876
I hope you brought your checkbooks.
3
00:03:57,335 --> 00:04:00,001
The air brakes pay
for George's latest obsession.
4
00:04:00,085 --> 00:04:02,543
By changing the dimensions of his pipes,
5
00:04:02,626 --> 00:04:06,210
George can move natural gas
over 20 miles from the well.
6
00:04:06,293 --> 00:04:08,043
Shooting, like a gun.
7
00:04:08,126 --> 00:04:10,835
Is that good or bad, Mrs. Westinghouse?
8
00:04:12,293 --> 00:04:14,960
- How is your daughter, Gladys?
- Oh, quite well, thank you.
9
00:04:15,043 --> 00:04:16,918
She's met a financier.
10
00:04:17,001 --> 00:04:19,293
The beading on your dress is exquisite.
11
00:04:20,376 --> 00:04:24,710
Mr. Westinghouse, I saw in The World
Mr. Edison's new electric system
12
00:04:24,793 --> 00:04:27,418
is significantly cheaper than gas.
13
00:04:27,501 --> 00:04:29,751
Does that keep you up at night?
14
00:04:29,835 --> 00:04:31,835
There's always more to see.
15
00:04:32,793 --> 00:04:35,501
Mr. and Mrs. Worthington, Mr. Manesberg,
16
00:04:35,585 --> 00:04:38,876
Dr. and Mrs. Burton,
Reverend Vincent, Mr. McCoy,
17
00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:41,251
Mr. Faulk, Miss Faulk, enjoy your evening.
18
00:04:54,210 --> 00:04:57,918
Edison says he's months away
from lighting up the world.
19
00:04:58,001 --> 00:05:01,918
It's impressive, but trust me,
it's ten years away from being practical.
20
00:05:03,001 --> 00:05:05,960
The papers make it sound
as though this is something different.
21
00:05:07,293 --> 00:05:08,668
A miracle.
22
00:05:09,585 --> 00:05:12,210
As if you started to levitate
off the carpet.
23
00:05:13,793 --> 00:05:16,043
I'd love to meet him.
Could you arrange it?
24
00:05:16,126 --> 00:05:17,376
It's been several years...
25
00:05:17,460 --> 00:05:19,710
A dinner.
Comfortable. Elegant. Substantive.
26
00:05:19,793 --> 00:05:23,418
Edison can't be bothered to tie his shoes,
let alone attend a social event.
27
00:05:23,501 --> 00:05:26,293
Perhaps you're right.
But try anyway.
28
00:05:29,876 --> 00:05:32,043
Anything fascinating?
29
00:05:32,126 --> 00:05:35,710
Mr. Pennoyer has found a bargain
on a Beaux Arts shack in Newport.
30
00:05:35,793 --> 00:05:38,835
Mrs. Abernathy's mother has passed,
and apparently Edison believes
31
00:05:38,918 --> 00:05:41,043
it may never be nighttime again.
32
00:05:44,126 --> 00:05:46,460
- Are you excited to meet the President?
- Yes.
33
00:05:46,543 --> 00:05:48,585
Don't say a thing
about J.P. Morgan's nose.
34
00:05:48,668 --> 00:05:50,293
- What's wrong with his nose?
- Nothing.
35
00:05:50,376 --> 00:05:53,835
- What's wrong with his nose?
- It's huge. Huge!
36
00:05:53,918 --> 00:05:56,543
It's like someone took a hammer
and slammed it into his face.
37
00:05:56,626 --> 00:05:58,269
I thought you already got the money.
38
00:05:58,293 --> 00:05:59,626
I only got half.
39
00:05:59,710 --> 00:06:01,311
Does Morgan even know
that you're coming?
40
00:06:01,335 --> 00:06:03,210
He'll invest as always. I hate this.
41
00:06:03,293 --> 00:06:05,053
- Mr. Edison, you have dinner with...
- What?
42
00:06:05,126 --> 00:06:06,960
Dinner with Westinghouse. On your return.
43
00:06:07,043 --> 00:06:08,293
Why are barns red?
44
00:06:08,376 --> 00:06:10,061
Maybe so you can
see them in the snow.
45
00:06:10,085 --> 00:06:11,894
- It's 'cause red paint's cheapest.
- What happened to your shoes?
46
00:06:11,918 --> 00:06:14,293
Morgan will want to know
the practicality of your system.
47
00:06:14,376 --> 00:06:15,543
I have money.
48
00:06:15,626 --> 00:06:17,751
Enough for two small buildings
in Manhattan?
49
00:06:17,835 --> 00:06:18,876
Yes.
50
00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:20,001
Oh, good.
51
00:06:33,751 --> 00:06:35,543
This was intended to be my lunch.
52
00:06:35,626 --> 00:06:37,960
The President has asked to see
the phonograph in person.
53
00:06:38,043 --> 00:06:40,876
- I had no idea you'd be here.
- Mrs. Edison.
54
00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:42,585
Mr. Morgan. These are our children.
55
00:06:42,668 --> 00:06:45,376
Dot and Dash. Delightful.
I know what you're doing.
56
00:06:45,460 --> 00:06:48,585
How much are you short? Just how much
of my money do you want to wash away?
57
00:06:48,668 --> 00:06:51,085
Oh, as very, very much as possible.
58
00:06:51,168 --> 00:06:52,876
- Who's this?
- Samuel Insull.
59
00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:55,626
Mr. Edison's personal secretary.
60
00:06:55,710 --> 00:06:59,043
- Mr. Morgan, Mr. Edison.
- Which one? He's also Mr. Edison.
61
00:06:59,126 --> 00:07:00,835
The President will see you now.
62
00:07:07,251 --> 00:07:08,418
Now.
63
00:07:08,501 --> 00:07:11,751
On top of the Crumpetty Tree
the Quangle Wangle sat,
64
00:07:11,835 --> 00:07:15,501
but his face you could not see,
on account of his beaver hat.
65
00:07:16,126 --> 00:07:17,960
This is the sound of your voice.
66
00:07:20,543 --> 00:07:23,543
On top of the Crumpetty Tree
the Quangle Wangle sat,
67
00:07:23,626 --> 00:07:25,835
but his face you could not see,
68
00:07:25,918 --> 00:07:28,668
- on account of his Beaver Hat.
- Is that what I sound like?
69
00:07:30,543 --> 00:07:32,918
My men tell me
you're turning down $5 million.
70
00:07:33,001 --> 00:07:34,561
I'm grateful for the offer, Mr. President,
71
00:07:34,585 --> 00:07:38,126
but it's the type of science you're after
that I find objectionable.
72
00:07:38,210 --> 00:07:40,602
- There's always money in guns.
- The one device I shall never build
73
00:07:40,626 --> 00:07:42,751
is that which takes the life
of another man.
74
00:07:42,835 --> 00:07:43,960
It's barbaric.
75
00:07:45,168 --> 00:07:47,876
But... take a look at this.
76
00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,168
One square mile of Manhattan,
the First District.
77
00:07:51,251 --> 00:07:53,501
- And I'm gonna light it up.
- Then you have done it.
78
00:07:53,585 --> 00:07:55,960
A star in a jar. It's a warm glow.
79
00:07:56,043 --> 00:07:59,335
No smell. No poison.
Thirteen hours of light per globe.
80
00:07:59,418 --> 00:08:01,251
And it's cheaper than gas. Safer too.
81
00:08:01,335 --> 00:08:03,293
We bury the wires using my DC current,
82
00:08:03,376 --> 00:08:07,001
and those same wires
will bring you energy and heat.
83
00:08:07,876 --> 00:08:10,835
I need two buildings to house
six dynamos of my own construction.
84
00:08:10,918 --> 00:08:12,918
This won't even reach my house.
85
00:08:13,001 --> 00:08:15,751
Morgan, let me make you so rich
86
00:08:15,835 --> 00:08:17,727
that you will look back
at this moment and wonder,
87
00:08:17,751 --> 00:08:20,001
"Why was I ever so disgustingly poor?"
88
00:08:22,460 --> 00:08:24,501
It's all right there.
Ferry to Wall Street.
89
00:08:24,585 --> 00:08:26,394
In case you missed my scribble,
that's a big old circle
90
00:08:26,418 --> 00:08:28,460
around the New York Times...
free advertising.
91
00:08:28,543 --> 00:08:30,668
- One hundred fifty.
- Half a million.
92
00:08:30,751 --> 00:08:33,876
I'm talking about $500,000,
you buy the next century.
93
00:08:34,460 --> 00:08:35,876
Brighter, safer, yours.
94
00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,727
Sounds rather grand to me,
Pierpont. If I had your fortune...
95
00:08:38,751 --> 00:08:41,085
With respect, you don't, Mr. President.
96
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:46,918
- What is that?
- That's not very nice.
97
00:08:47,001 --> 00:08:49,293
Morse code.
98
00:08:50,043 --> 00:08:51,460
What did the boy say?
99
00:08:51,543 --> 00:08:52,977
- What did the boy say?
- If there's nothing else,
100
00:08:53,001 --> 00:08:55,441
- it's been a pleasure, Mr. President.
- What did the boy say?
101
00:08:57,335 --> 00:08:59,001
Do you know what you've done?
102
00:09:00,085 --> 00:09:02,085
I always receive more by saying no.
103
00:09:04,126 --> 00:09:07,168
Set up the Manhattan offices
and make them look professional.
104
00:09:07,251 --> 00:09:09,335
- What does that mean?
- Oh, I don't know. Carpets.
105
00:09:10,710 --> 00:09:13,251
I don't know. Carpets.
106
00:09:13,335 --> 00:09:14,751
And the name?
107
00:09:16,501 --> 00:09:19,835
Edison Electric, of course.
Sir, why not build munitions?
108
00:09:19,918 --> 00:09:21,727
Five million dollars.
It's hard to say no to...
109
00:09:21,751 --> 00:09:23,460
No.
110
00:09:23,543 --> 00:09:25,001
If it's Edison, it works.
111
00:09:25,085 --> 00:09:27,876
If it works,
I'd strongly prefer it not kill anybody.
112
00:09:29,376 --> 00:09:30,460
Right.
113
00:09:59,376 --> 00:10:03,376
Thomas Edison has an unfavorable opinion
of college graduates seeking employment
114
00:10:03,460 --> 00:10:06,543
because they cannot answer
his examination questions.
115
00:10:07,376 --> 00:10:09,085
"Who composed Il Trovatore?"
116
00:10:09,168 --> 00:10:10,501
Verdi.
117
00:10:10,585 --> 00:10:12,305
"What is the speed of sound?"
118
00:10:12,335 --> 00:10:13,477
Oh, a trick question.
119
00:10:13,501 --> 00:10:16,501
Sound travels at
a constantly diminishing rate of speed.
120
00:10:16,585 --> 00:10:22,293
But I believe the fastest rate on record
is 11,463 feet per second.
121
00:10:22,376 --> 00:10:24,043
How do you know all this?
122
00:10:24,126 --> 00:10:25,585
I read that this morning.
123
00:10:30,293 --> 00:10:31,626
This is different.
124
00:10:33,460 --> 00:10:34,960
I can feel it.
125
00:10:36,085 --> 00:10:38,501
You never requested a house guest before.
126
00:10:39,543 --> 00:10:40,626
Really?
127
00:10:42,376 --> 00:10:43,543
Hmm.
128
00:10:51,168 --> 00:10:53,960
- Eight minutes from the junction, sir.
- Hmm?
129
00:10:54,043 --> 00:10:55,793
The Westinghouse dinner.
130
00:10:55,876 --> 00:10:59,668
We're going home. They're tired.
I already shook enough hands today.
131
00:11:03,251 --> 00:11:05,001
Evening, Frank.
132
00:11:05,085 --> 00:11:06,668
George.
133
00:11:07,835 --> 00:11:08,876
Pardon?
134
00:11:09,918 --> 00:11:11,293
I'm not stopping.
135
00:11:13,293 --> 00:11:14,376
Right.
136
00:11:26,335 --> 00:11:28,335
Maybe the brakes are busted.
137
00:11:30,251 --> 00:11:31,876
I doubt that.
138
00:11:58,085 --> 00:12:00,043
An emergency came up in New York.
139
00:12:21,710 --> 00:12:23,585
Don't let him agitate you.
140
00:12:24,335 --> 00:12:25,835
This is how he is.
141
00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:29,793
Before he was a wizard,
I let him live in my basement.
142
00:12:30,751 --> 00:12:33,602
My wife wouldn't have him at the table
with us unless he cleaned himself.
143
00:12:33,626 --> 00:12:36,168
And boy, given the ultimatum,
the man ate alone.
144
00:12:36,251 --> 00:12:37,710
How does he work?
145
00:12:39,793 --> 00:12:43,085
You want to know his secret?
He engineers his own reality,
146
00:12:43,168 --> 00:12:45,543
and he looks for needles in haystacks.
147
00:12:46,460 --> 00:12:49,251
But how does he know
there's a needle in the hay to begin with?
148
00:12:49,335 --> 00:12:51,251
He doesn't. Neither do you.
149
00:12:51,335 --> 00:12:53,960
But he's so determined not to be
the second person to find it,
150
00:12:54,043 --> 00:12:56,626
he'll go stalk by stalk,
on a "what-do-you-know."
151
00:12:56,710 --> 00:12:59,960
I will say one good thing about him:
He could be the richest man on earth,
152
00:13:00,043 --> 00:13:02,293
but he doesn't give a damn about money.
153
00:13:04,876 --> 00:13:07,126
What does he give a damn about?
154
00:13:11,210 --> 00:13:13,210
Mary? Talk.
155
00:13:13,293 --> 00:13:15,477
- I just want to test the resistance...
- Where's my barrette?
156
00:13:15,501 --> 00:13:17,418
- On top of your bureau.
- What's a bureau?
157
00:13:17,501 --> 00:13:19,293
It's what's under your barrette.
158
00:13:19,376 --> 00:13:22,418
Can I get you to promise on here
that you'll build me a fence?
159
00:13:22,501 --> 00:13:24,751
Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.
160
00:13:27,626 --> 00:13:29,251
Look, you're missing it!
161
00:13:30,210 --> 00:13:32,626
It's a baby! Still has her spots!
162
00:13:38,210 --> 00:13:39,835
Tom, come see this.
163
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,376
Tom? Tom?
164
00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,043
You want half a million dollars,
make me something with your name on it
165
00:13:50,126 --> 00:13:52,168
that I can sell to General Sherman.
166
00:13:52,251 --> 00:13:54,585
Counteroffer.
How about I don't give you what you want,
167
00:13:54,668 --> 00:13:56,418
but you give me everything I want?
168
00:13:59,751 --> 00:14:03,501
We are gonna be big, big, big!
169
00:14:03,585 --> 00:14:06,710
- Bigger than an elephant!
- And no one stops an elephant!
170
00:14:06,793 --> 00:14:08,543
Whoo!
171
00:15:49,751 --> 00:15:51,001
It'll work.
172
00:16:03,793 --> 00:16:06,418
Look, I've got to be honest.
This might not work.
173
00:16:08,335 --> 00:16:11,960
Conventional wisdom has it, if you think
you're gonna fall flat on your face,
174
00:16:12,043 --> 00:16:13,793
better not do it in front of a crowd.
175
00:16:17,210 --> 00:16:19,376
Tonight, things could change.
176
00:16:20,043 --> 00:16:21,918
I hope they do.
177
00:16:22,585 --> 00:16:24,126
And if they do...
178
00:16:25,501 --> 00:16:27,460
they'll change there...
179
00:16:28,460 --> 00:16:29,918
and there.
180
00:16:31,751 --> 00:16:34,168
My boys and I caught in a jar
181
00:16:34,251 --> 00:16:37,585
what before now
has only flashed across the night sky.
182
00:16:39,335 --> 00:16:42,251
What say we unscrew the lid
and see what happens?
183
00:16:42,335 --> 00:16:45,043
You ready?
184
00:16:46,251 --> 00:16:49,293
- Three, two...
- Two, one!
185
00:17:47,710 --> 00:17:51,668
The man has 100,000 feet
of copper for 87 customers.
186
00:17:51,751 --> 00:17:53,751
It will never be profitable.
187
00:17:54,626 --> 00:17:57,960
It's a hobby for the rich.
Something to show off.
188
00:17:58,043 --> 00:17:59,668
It doesn't have to be.
189
00:18:02,126 --> 00:18:05,876
I'm securing patents on the Siemens dynamo
and the Gaulard-Gibbs transformer.
190
00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,418
Transformer?
That's more like a metal suitcase.
191
00:18:08,501 --> 00:18:10,876
How much did that cost?
192
00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:13,501
Edison, he picked the wrong horse.
193
00:18:14,501 --> 00:18:16,918
His current is like a hose
with a knot in it.
194
00:18:17,001 --> 00:18:19,043
He needs to sell one generator per mile.
195
00:18:19,126 --> 00:18:22,585
You want to build an AC system.
That's too powerful for motors.
196
00:18:22,668 --> 00:18:25,626
Put doubt out of your mind
for one moment and tell me,
197
00:18:25,710 --> 00:18:28,001
what distance
do you estimate one could get
198
00:18:28,085 --> 00:18:29,918
with a single alternating dynamo?
199
00:18:30,001 --> 00:18:31,460
- A few thousand.
- Yards?
200
00:18:31,543 --> 00:18:32,876
- Miles.
- Mm-hmm.
201
00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:35,293
And how many houses could we reach?
202
00:18:35,376 --> 00:18:38,168
I suppose all of them.
What about the bulbs?
203
00:18:38,251 --> 00:18:40,210
Hiram's agreed to license me his.
204
00:18:40,293 --> 00:18:43,460
If you're gonna rip off Edison,
rip him off right. They glow bright gray.
205
00:18:43,543 --> 00:18:46,251
I just want to do a demonstration
for Edison.
206
00:18:46,335 --> 00:18:48,543
Somewhere small. Small town. Rural.
207
00:18:48,626 --> 00:18:52,126
And then he'll see
alternating is possible,
208
00:18:52,210 --> 00:18:54,585
and we partner... our system, his bulbs.
209
00:18:54,668 --> 00:18:58,835
In my opinion, which I will admit is based
solely on physics and reality,
210
00:18:58,918 --> 00:19:01,085
what you want to do is fun to talk about.
211
00:19:01,168 --> 00:19:03,126
I really don't think it can be done.
212
00:19:03,210 --> 00:19:05,460
- Why?
- Because he would've already done it.
213
00:19:35,918 --> 00:19:39,543
My Paris office seems to think you may be
the only man on Earth to rival me.
214
00:19:39,626 --> 00:19:42,835
- How would you like to work for me?
- Very much.
215
00:19:42,918 --> 00:19:46,210
I'm expanding to 12 cities,
building direct-current systems...
216
00:19:46,293 --> 00:19:47,626
Direct current?
217
00:19:49,835 --> 00:19:51,751
Alternating current is far more efficient.
218
00:19:51,835 --> 00:19:54,418
- Hickory, dickory dock...
- Higher voltage,
219
00:19:54,501 --> 00:19:56,221
greater distance. less copper conductors...
220
00:19:56,293 --> 00:19:59,293
It's lethal, and it's too much power
for a motor to handle.
221
00:19:59,376 --> 00:20:01,126
I'm going to start you on $100 a month
222
00:20:01,210 --> 00:20:03,710
until you prove yourself worth
more or less.
223
00:20:03,793 --> 00:20:05,977
- A hundred dollars?
- If you can solve five things I can't,
224
00:20:06,001 --> 00:20:08,543
I'll pay you $50,000,
and then I'll have to fire you.
225
00:20:09,543 --> 00:20:11,501
Mr. Tesla, welcome to Edison Electric.
226
00:20:11,585 --> 00:20:13,668
We make a minor invention every ten days
227
00:20:13,751 --> 00:20:15,918
and a major one every six months or so.
228
00:20:19,585 --> 00:20:22,105
I have a suspicion
that though your husband's lab is but
229
00:20:22,168 --> 00:20:25,876
a hundred yards from your house, it must
seem sometimes like a hundred miles.
230
00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:27,460
No, a million.
231
00:20:28,335 --> 00:20:31,710
I've tried to find a way to stop
his brain, but it just runs and runs.
232
00:20:32,585 --> 00:20:36,418
It's something he can't control.
All I can do is bring him back to center.
233
00:20:36,501 --> 00:20:40,043
I've heard Mr. Edison called
"the worst husband in America"
234
00:20:40,126 --> 00:20:43,085
on account of him sleeping in his lab
on your wedding night.
235
00:20:43,168 --> 00:20:45,085
I've heard the story myself.
236
00:20:48,918 --> 00:20:51,085
Well, on our wedding night,
237
00:20:51,168 --> 00:20:53,751
Tom and I left on the Albany, uh...
238
00:20:55,501 --> 00:20:57,043
boat.
239
00:20:57,126 --> 00:21:00,543
We spent a week in Niagara Falls.
240
00:21:00,626 --> 00:21:02,835
I thought that one week of happiness
would be enough
241
00:21:02,918 --> 00:21:05,793
to illuminate an entire lifetime.
242
00:21:05,876 --> 00:21:08,918
He was a dashing inventor,
and I worked for him.
243
00:21:09,001 --> 00:21:10,585
You know. I was a...
244
00:21:12,335 --> 00:21:14,001
I-I was a...
245
00:21:15,335 --> 00:21:16,376
uh...
246
00:21:18,876 --> 00:21:20,376
Uh...
247
00:21:20,460 --> 00:21:21,626
I-I was a...
248
00:21:23,043 --> 00:21:24,168
Yes?
249
00:21:25,543 --> 00:21:28,001
Um...
250
00:21:29,001 --> 00:21:30,876
I'm sorry.
251
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:32,710
I-I operated the...
252
00:21:38,085 --> 00:21:40,168
- Telegraph?
- Yes.
253
00:21:40,251 --> 00:21:42,293
Yes. Telegraph.
254
00:21:44,668 --> 00:21:46,376
Forgive me.
255
00:21:50,251 --> 00:21:52,335
Does he have any hobbies?
256
00:22:03,335 --> 00:22:05,626
You promised them Coney Island.
257
00:22:05,710 --> 00:22:07,501
At the very least, a walk.
258
00:22:08,293 --> 00:22:10,585
We'll go on three walks tomorrow,
I promise.
259
00:22:13,918 --> 00:22:15,793
Here, why don't you take a picture?
260
00:22:34,668 --> 00:22:36,043
Slow down!
261
00:22:51,835 --> 00:22:55,168
It's neuralgia, brought on by eye strain.
262
00:22:55,251 --> 00:22:57,835
A good pair of spectacles
is all that's required.
263
00:22:57,918 --> 00:23:00,043
Oh, no. I'll look awful.
264
00:23:00,126 --> 00:23:02,876
No, no. No, you won't. That's impossible.
265
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,418
Are you sure that's all?
She's been having terrible headaches.
266
00:23:06,501 --> 00:23:09,585
I'll leave her a vial of laudanum
until her eyes adjust.
267
00:23:09,668 --> 00:23:11,626
Thank you.
268
00:23:11,710 --> 00:23:13,210
Can you...
269
00:23:13,293 --> 00:23:16,210
Would you mind delaying the bill
for this visit?
270
00:23:17,126 --> 00:23:21,168
Well, my son would love an autograph.
271
00:23:49,543 --> 00:23:51,335
Christ, it's primitive.
272
00:23:53,418 --> 00:23:55,001
How much did this cost?
273
00:23:55,085 --> 00:23:57,335
- He won't tell me.
- What we need is here.
274
00:23:58,210 --> 00:24:01,251
Edison's current
can't travel more than one mile, Frank.
275
00:24:01,335 --> 00:24:04,668
It peters out.
He'll have to build so many DC motors
276
00:24:04,751 --> 00:24:07,543
and bury all his copper
just to power one town.
277
00:24:07,626 --> 00:24:10,835
This country will look like
a checkerboard of power plants.
278
00:24:10,918 --> 00:24:14,710
But with one AC dynamo,
we can step-up the voltage
279
00:24:14,793 --> 00:24:17,001
and reach as far as the eye can see.
280
00:24:17,085 --> 00:24:19,460
We string the wires overhead on poles.
281
00:24:19,543 --> 00:24:21,710
Less copper, more electricity.
282
00:24:21,793 --> 00:24:24,085
We're 75 percent cheaper.
283
00:24:24,168 --> 00:24:27,293
The only thing that matters here
is distance.
284
00:25:14,626 --> 00:25:18,168
Frank, this is as much yours
as it is mine.
285
00:25:18,251 --> 00:25:20,710
- I'd be proud if you'd flip the...
- I couldn't possibly.
286
00:25:20,793 --> 00:25:22,835
- Oh, don't be ridiculous.
- No, it belongs to you.
287
00:25:22,918 --> 00:25:24,958
- But you spent hours...
- George, it was your idea.
288
00:25:25,001 --> 00:25:26,501
You were the instigator.
289
00:25:26,585 --> 00:25:29,126
Shall we go for a ride?
290
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,085
"To the Wizard of Menlo Park.
291
00:25:42,126 --> 00:25:44,876
As it seems your brakes have issues,
292
00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,710
I would be delighted to send my car
to deliver you
293
00:25:48,793 --> 00:25:51,751
to Great Barrington, Massachusetts...
294
00:25:52,876 --> 00:25:56,960
where I have successfully
transmitted current one full mile."
295
00:26:00,626 --> 00:26:02,251
No!
296
00:26:02,335 --> 00:26:04,210
How did he get the bulbs?
297
00:26:06,418 --> 00:26:09,376
What a roaring silence
from the brightest minds of America.
298
00:26:09,460 --> 00:26:14,001
- He's using Hiram's design.
- Which Hiram stole from me!
299
00:26:16,293 --> 00:26:19,043
- Sue him.
- We did. The court upheld his patent.
300
00:26:19,126 --> 00:26:20,852
I'm talking about Westinghouse.
Find an angle.
301
00:26:20,876 --> 00:26:23,168
Take a trip to Barrington
and see for yourself.
302
00:26:23,251 --> 00:26:25,585
Is anyone even slightly irked
that 15 years of work
303
00:26:25,668 --> 00:26:27,501
is being filched
from right under your eyes?
304
00:26:28,210 --> 00:26:29,418
Not again!
305
00:26:29,501 --> 00:26:32,960
I built a system here,
and he goes shopping for patents
306
00:26:33,043 --> 00:26:36,085
to cobble together something
to legally steal what is mine.
307
00:26:37,168 --> 00:26:40,626
If the bulbs are a battle,
then nail him on the dynamos.
308
00:26:40,710 --> 00:26:42,043
We can't.
309
00:26:43,835 --> 00:26:45,751
He's not even using direct current, sir.
310
00:26:47,918 --> 00:26:49,710
He's using alternating?
311
00:27:03,335 --> 00:27:04,585
Mary?
312
00:27:05,168 --> 00:27:06,543
Mary?
313
00:27:06,626 --> 00:27:08,668
Yes, I think we should have some more tea.
314
00:27:08,751 --> 00:27:10,585
Patricia?
315
00:27:27,501 --> 00:27:29,001
George Westinghouse?
316
00:27:29,876 --> 00:27:32,626
- Can we help you?
- I came from Thomas Edison.
317
00:27:33,543 --> 00:27:36,085
He wants me to buy one generator per mile.
318
00:27:37,001 --> 00:27:39,668
And then I saw the piece in The Globe
that says
319
00:27:39,751 --> 00:27:43,876
your electricity would save 66 percent
on Edison's.
320
00:27:45,751 --> 00:27:47,835
Well, it's a proposed saving.
321
00:27:48,418 --> 00:27:52,001
And it's not "my electricity."
It's "electricity."
322
00:27:52,626 --> 00:27:55,168
I think it makes much more sense
for the taxpayers of Columbus
323
00:27:55,251 --> 00:27:57,293
to go with Westinghouse Electric.
324
00:27:58,710 --> 00:28:01,918
I don't want to compete.
I only intend to license my system.
325
00:28:02,001 --> 00:28:04,168
- He's got the better bulbs.
- Why not compete?
326
00:28:04,251 --> 00:28:06,418
By now he knows.
Edison knows, I promise you.
327
00:28:06,501 --> 00:28:10,001
The man doesn't care about
getting it right, just about getting it.
328
00:28:10,085 --> 00:28:11,519
But he doesn't respond.
329
00:28:11,543 --> 00:28:14,001
Look, Westinghouse will never
have a complete system.
330
00:28:14,085 --> 00:28:16,727
- He can't even power a sewing machine.
- But I can solve that problem.
331
00:28:16,751 --> 00:28:19,918
Instead of again converting the currents
to work with a commutator,
332
00:28:20,001 --> 00:28:22,376
I would pass alternating current
differing in phase
333
00:28:22,460 --> 00:28:24,126
through two or more energizing circuits.
334
00:28:24,210 --> 00:28:27,001
You're supposed to be working on
commutators with DC dynamos.
335
00:28:27,085 --> 00:28:28,543
Well, I have.
336
00:28:28,626 --> 00:28:31,394
Look, I have done everything you have
asked, but you are making a mistake.
337
00:28:31,418 --> 00:28:33,876
- What?
- Direct current may be fine for cities
338
00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,751
when the buildings are close together,
but most of your country is empty spaces.
339
00:28:37,835 --> 00:28:40,793
Only high voltage can span the distance.
You are not thinking long-term.
340
00:28:40,876 --> 00:28:44,835
This technology is within your grasp.
I can build you an efficient motor.
341
00:28:44,918 --> 00:28:46,210
Have you tried it?
342
00:28:46,293 --> 00:28:47,418
No.
343
00:28:48,501 --> 00:28:50,710
Look, in my head, it is nearly completed.
344
00:28:50,793 --> 00:28:52,953
Men claim to have heads
full of sonnets and symphonies,
345
00:28:53,001 --> 00:28:55,918
but their only problem seems to be
they can't quite write it down.
346
00:28:56,001 --> 00:28:59,668
- Let me try.
- No, because I can't start again!
347
00:28:59,751 --> 00:29:02,186
I got orders from Michigan.
I got a roomful of press waiting for me.
348
00:29:02,210 --> 00:29:03,918
Do what you were hired to do.
349
00:29:04,001 --> 00:29:06,210
So, you will not honor your word
about the remuneration?
350
00:29:06,293 --> 00:29:08,460
- What are you talking about?
- Well, you said $50,000.
351
00:29:08,543 --> 00:29:11,793
- Are you unhappy with my contributions?
- I'm not paying you $50,000.
352
00:29:11,876 --> 00:29:13,293
That was a joke.
353
00:29:16,793 --> 00:29:18,918
Coconut fibers and horn shavings,
and fishing lines
354
00:29:19,001 --> 00:29:21,251
and cork and celluloid and flax
355
00:29:21,335 --> 00:29:23,543
and platinum, iron, nickel, copper, steel.
356
00:29:23,626 --> 00:29:26,001
We scoured the earth, years and years,
357
00:29:26,085 --> 00:29:29,126
trying thousands,
10,000 different combinations.
358
00:29:29,210 --> 00:29:33,043
Then George Westinghouse
saw how I did it and put on a pirate hat.
359
00:29:33,126 --> 00:29:35,626
You get vultures in every venture,
360
00:29:35,710 --> 00:29:37,418
but you've just got to keep them away.
361
00:29:37,501 --> 00:29:40,668
- So this is just how it works?
- Map-makers include mistakes in their work
362
00:29:40,751 --> 00:29:43,043
to see if anyone else is copying them.
363
00:29:43,126 --> 00:29:46,085
I don't have that luxury. I can't invent
streets to lead the world down.
364
00:29:46,168 --> 00:29:48,543
Otherwise we all end up in the dark.
365
00:29:48,626 --> 00:29:51,793
Good, and remember, write as much
as you can about how he's infringing.
366
00:29:52,543 --> 00:29:54,918
Thank you, Mr. Edison,
and thanks for this.
367
00:30:01,668 --> 00:30:03,835
Did I mention that his system's lethal?
368
00:30:04,543 --> 00:30:06,626
You reach out and touch
369
00:30:06,710 --> 00:30:10,085
a doorknob or a rail,
and, well, you become the circuit.
370
00:30:10,793 --> 00:30:13,126
Just to be clear on that point...
371
00:30:15,126 --> 00:30:16,543
Well, you die.
372
00:30:17,751 --> 00:30:20,251
With DC current,
you can reach out and touch anything
373
00:30:20,335 --> 00:30:23,001
at any stage of the line
with your bare hands.
374
00:30:23,085 --> 00:30:26,210
It's safe. It works. And it bears
the name of Edison, so it's pretty.
375
00:30:27,543 --> 00:30:31,376
Our government has been trying for some
time now to get me to invent a weapon,
376
00:30:31,460 --> 00:30:34,460
but I won't use this brain to invent
anything that hurts people.
377
00:30:34,543 --> 00:30:37,043
For that, you can shop in Pittsburgh.
378
00:30:37,126 --> 00:30:39,501
So you say
Westinghouse wants to hurt people?
379
00:30:39,585 --> 00:30:43,001
No. I can't say that. But you can.
380
00:30:54,751 --> 00:30:56,918
This is what he thinks of you.
381
00:30:58,085 --> 00:31:01,960
Issue a statement to the papers today.
Refute his charges.
382
00:31:02,043 --> 00:31:03,835
I'm not going to engage with this.
383
00:31:03,918 --> 00:31:06,668
We have the better system.
That speaks loudest.
384
00:31:12,835 --> 00:31:17,293
Westinghouse Electric Company
was founded at a quarter past 9:00.
385
00:31:18,918 --> 00:31:21,376
Hello. I'm George Westinghouse.
Do we have an appointment?
386
00:31:21,876 --> 00:31:23,210
North Dakota.
387
00:31:23,293 --> 00:31:24,585
New Orleans.
388
00:31:24,668 --> 00:31:25,960
Fort Worth.
389
00:31:26,043 --> 00:31:27,168
Sioux City.
390
00:31:27,251 --> 00:31:29,293
You want the good news or the good news?
391
00:31:29,376 --> 00:31:32,376
♪ Hurrah, boys, hurrah ♪
392
00:31:34,168 --> 00:31:36,436
We've been spending
all our time trying to nab him
393
00:31:36,460 --> 00:31:38,940
on what's in the glass bubble
when we should've been looking at
394
00:31:39,001 --> 00:31:41,251
is the clear opposite end of the bulb,
the corkscrew.
395
00:31:41,335 --> 00:31:43,001
- I own that.
- That you do.
396
00:31:44,376 --> 00:31:45,918
He's suing you.
397
00:31:46,585 --> 00:31:48,293
This is a massive lawsuit.
398
00:31:48,376 --> 00:31:50,626
This is Edison and Morgan.
399
00:31:50,710 --> 00:31:53,376
My advice: Is there any way
that you can think of
400
00:31:53,460 --> 00:31:55,376
to beat gravity other than a corkscrew?
401
00:31:58,001 --> 00:32:00,751
Westinghouse designed
a stopper to get around your corkscrew.
402
00:32:00,835 --> 00:32:02,915
It's only a matter of time
before they're everywhere.
403
00:32:04,376 --> 00:32:08,251
To tell you the truth, I am mostly looking
forward to using it at the lumber mills.
404
00:32:08,335 --> 00:32:10,751
Well, at the moment, we offer only light.
405
00:32:10,835 --> 00:32:14,460
In time, we'll move on
to motorized tools and appliances.
406
00:32:14,543 --> 00:32:17,126
When? I don't care what light costs.
407
00:32:18,085 --> 00:32:22,043
My home's on gas. I'm after productivity.
I don't understand.
408
00:32:22,126 --> 00:32:25,668
Edison said that electricity
can already be used in factories.
409
00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:28,501
Well, his can.
410
00:32:32,126 --> 00:32:34,126
I need to see this needle move.
411
00:32:34,210 --> 00:32:36,894
I can't step the voltage down
without blowing the whole thing to pieces.
412
00:32:36,918 --> 00:32:38,876
Come on. You must've made some progress.
413
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:40,085
It's just not ready.
414
00:33:03,210 --> 00:33:05,126
Kill it. Kill it!
415
00:33:12,626 --> 00:33:14,666
There has to be a solution out there.
416
00:33:19,793 --> 00:33:23,710
The Nikola Tesla Electric Light Company.
How does that sound?
417
00:33:23,793 --> 00:33:26,543
- When can you bring arcs to production?
- Arc lighting?
418
00:33:26,626 --> 00:33:30,043
I believe we agreed to compete for
incandescents, motors and distribution.
419
00:33:30,126 --> 00:33:31,626
Leave that to Edison.
420
00:33:31,710 --> 00:33:34,376
I am working on advanced methods
to surpass him.
421
00:33:34,460 --> 00:33:38,126
- To beat Edison? How soon?
- Only a few years.
422
00:33:38,210 --> 00:33:40,293
I need a lab, engineers, supplies.
423
00:33:40,376 --> 00:33:42,043
There are, of course, expenses.
424
00:33:42,126 --> 00:33:44,668
Oh, where do you get the cash
for those fancy silks?
425
00:33:44,751 --> 00:33:46,960
How I spend my income is my concern.
426
00:33:47,043 --> 00:33:51,043
Look, Mr. Tesla, if you need cash now,
you should sell us your patents.
427
00:33:52,001 --> 00:33:53,793
And what would I receive?
428
00:33:53,876 --> 00:33:55,043
Stock.
429
00:33:55,126 --> 00:33:57,835
And later, if you succeed,
you can sell it for a killing.
430
00:33:57,918 --> 00:33:59,585
That means a fortune.
431
00:33:59,668 --> 00:34:03,293
- Yes, I know what an idiom is.
- We'll take on two-thirds of the risk.
432
00:34:03,376 --> 00:34:06,126
It's a good price
for the only thing you have to sell.
433
00:34:09,251 --> 00:34:12,585
Congestion of the brain?
What does that even mean?
434
00:34:12,668 --> 00:34:16,376
There's a... an occlusion hidden,
435
00:34:16,460 --> 00:34:18,751
and it expands.
436
00:34:18,835 --> 00:34:21,168
Her eyesight will likely go first,
437
00:34:21,251 --> 00:34:23,668
and then her vocabulary will fall away.
438
00:34:23,751 --> 00:34:25,210
I can't lose her.
439
00:34:27,918 --> 00:34:31,085
Working on a raised alphabet,
I'll make her a dictionary.
440
00:34:31,168 --> 00:34:33,960
She'll gradually lose her mobility.
441
00:34:34,043 --> 00:34:35,710
I'll build her an elevator.
442
00:34:36,710 --> 00:34:37,751
Mr. Edison,
443
00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:40,626
what your wife needs...
444
00:34:41,710 --> 00:34:43,501
no man can build.
445
00:34:44,335 --> 00:34:46,251
What my wife needs, according to you,
446
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:48,751
is a simple pair of spectacles.
447
00:34:50,501 --> 00:34:52,335
Nature will take its course.
448
00:34:55,585 --> 00:34:56,626
I, uh...
449
00:34:58,043 --> 00:35:00,418
I have to leave for New York tonight.
450
00:35:01,293 --> 00:35:03,001
It can't be avoided.
451
00:35:04,668 --> 00:35:07,876
I will attend to her
while you're away, but...
452
00:35:09,460 --> 00:35:10,668
don't linger.
453
00:35:25,710 --> 00:35:27,350
Ohio is going with Westinghouse.
454
00:35:27,376 --> 00:35:30,543
- Columbus. Zanesville.
- Zanesville? Give it to him.
455
00:35:30,626 --> 00:35:31,751
That isn't funny.
456
00:35:33,001 --> 00:35:35,793
We don't know something is a pattern
till it happens again,
457
00:35:35,876 --> 00:35:37,918
which I sincerely hope it does not.
458
00:35:38,001 --> 00:35:41,668
Now, you tell me, what is he doing right
that you're doing wrong?
459
00:35:41,751 --> 00:35:44,626
He is successfully selling machines
that will result
460
00:35:44,710 --> 00:35:47,168
in the accidental deaths of human beings.
461
00:35:47,251 --> 00:35:49,311
- And where are these deaths?
- Where are these deaths?
462
00:35:49,335 --> 00:35:50,460
Why don't we switch now,
463
00:35:50,543 --> 00:35:52,727
and then you get to shoulder
the inevitable suits of manslaughter.
464
00:35:52,751 --> 00:35:56,751
I think that people aren't dying because
it's not as dangerous as you wish it were.
465
00:35:58,710 --> 00:36:01,626
All right, he's beating us on costs,
but that is a temporary advantage.
466
00:36:01,710 --> 00:36:03,668
You give me enough time,
I'll make ours so cheap
467
00:36:03,751 --> 00:36:05,835
that only the rich will burn candles.
468
00:36:05,918 --> 00:36:08,751
And until then, you bleed cities
to Westinghouse. I'm not a bank.
469
00:36:08,835 --> 00:36:10,793
That is exactly what you are.
470
00:36:10,876 --> 00:36:14,501
We could've had this conversation by
telephone instead of you wasting my time.
471
00:36:14,585 --> 00:36:17,543
When I want to see someone, he comes.
Eye to eye. That's how it works.
472
00:36:17,626 --> 00:36:19,543
No. Here's how it works.
473
00:36:19,626 --> 00:36:23,543
I build miracles, and you continue to
give me as much goddamn money as I want.
474
00:36:24,293 --> 00:36:26,460
Oh, what? Did I squander another town?
475
00:36:28,335 --> 00:36:30,085
All right, what did I lose?
476
00:38:27,251 --> 00:38:30,335
Say something.
477
00:38:30,418 --> 00:38:33,918
Can I get you to promise
on here that you'll build me a fence?
478
00:38:35,293 --> 00:38:37,460
Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.
479
00:38:39,293 --> 00:38:40,960
Look! You're missing it!
480
00:38:51,001 --> 00:38:53,961
Say something.
481
00:38:54,043 --> 00:38:57,460
Can I get you to promise
on here that you'll build me a fence?
482
00:38:57,543 --> 00:38:59,793
Ground's frozen. Needs to thaw.
483
00:39:01,293 --> 00:39:03,085
Look! You're missing it!
484
00:39:05,543 --> 00:39:08,168
No. Now we move on
to my motor, as agreed...
485
00:39:08,251 --> 00:39:10,835
Look, we don't...
we don't want any of that.
486
00:39:10,918 --> 00:39:12,793
The arcs you built aren't selling anymore.
487
00:39:12,876 --> 00:39:15,126
We can't compete with Edison
and Westinghouse!
488
00:39:15,210 --> 00:39:18,210
Then I will take my patents
and wish you both a great misfortune.
489
00:39:18,293 --> 00:39:20,793
- Your patents?
- Yes. My patents.
490
00:39:30,043 --> 00:39:31,918
Can I get you anything, sir?
491
00:39:33,168 --> 00:39:34,751
A time machine.
492
00:39:35,251 --> 00:39:38,585
Well, if I ever find one, I'll travel
back to this moment and give it to you.
493
00:39:39,835 --> 00:39:41,418
Did you read over the proposal?
494
00:39:41,501 --> 00:39:45,168
I'm not diverting what I've got left
of my resources in lighting up a fair.
495
00:39:45,251 --> 00:39:47,876
It's much more than a fair, sir.
A third of this country
496
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:52,293
will get on trains to Chicago
to try and see this City of Light.
497
00:39:52,793 --> 00:39:55,293
Every window, every streetlamp,
a sign that says,
498
00:39:55,376 --> 00:39:57,251
"The race is over, and we won."
499
00:39:58,001 --> 00:40:00,126
Why spend your final dollars
traveling this country
500
00:40:00,210 --> 00:40:02,793
to show everyone your electricity
when they're all
501
00:40:02,876 --> 00:40:05,376
traveling to the same place
to try to see it anyway?
502
00:40:05,460 --> 00:40:06,977
Because in a year, they'll rip it down.
503
00:40:07,001 --> 00:40:09,626
Only after 30 million people
have seen it, yes.
504
00:40:16,835 --> 00:40:18,626
Westinghouse is placing a bid.
505
00:40:33,168 --> 00:40:35,793
Nice hat. Looks expensive.
506
00:40:35,876 --> 00:40:38,210
I owned this before I worked for you,
Mr. Edison.
507
00:40:38,293 --> 00:40:41,626
I don't think you are working for me.
He's still using my bulbs.
508
00:40:41,710 --> 00:40:43,960
His patents are in order.
509
00:40:44,043 --> 00:40:45,585
Do you want my advice?
510
00:40:46,043 --> 00:40:48,460
You keep saying
Westinghouse's current will kill people,
511
00:40:48,543 --> 00:40:51,751
so in lieu of evidence,
why don't you provide it?
512
00:41:01,043 --> 00:41:04,626
We're doing this because
when we have a complete system,
513
00:41:04,710 --> 00:41:07,876
it works, and it's Edison.
514
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:09,376
Poor bastard.
515
00:41:10,335 --> 00:41:14,668
Well, he was gonna be slaughtered anyway.
He's not going to feel any pain, right?
516
00:41:14,751 --> 00:41:17,085
At 3,000 volts,
it'll be over before it begins.
517
00:41:17,168 --> 00:41:18,835
So there's nothing to worry about?
518
00:41:19,751 --> 00:41:22,543
But these are reporters, so you might
want to liven up a little bit.
519
00:41:27,126 --> 00:41:29,835
Welcome to Menlo Park.
520
00:41:29,918 --> 00:41:32,210
Thank you for coming out
on this cold morning.
521
00:41:32,293 --> 00:41:34,918
- Good to see you again.
- Good morning.
522
00:41:35,001 --> 00:41:37,043
- I'm Southwick Brown.
- A pleasure.
523
00:41:37,126 --> 00:41:39,585
Now you, uh, you might all
want to stand back a little bit.
524
00:41:39,668 --> 00:41:41,751
Gus is being connected to the same current
525
00:41:41,835 --> 00:41:44,210
that Westinghouse uses from his generator.
526
00:41:44,293 --> 00:41:48,001
But there's no word yet coined
to define death by electricity,
527
00:41:48,085 --> 00:41:50,751
so I asked the men who write
the dictionaries, and I heard back
528
00:41:50,835 --> 00:41:54,418
"electro-dite," "electro-cremate"
and "dyna-mort."
529
00:41:54,501 --> 00:41:58,418
But just as Joe Guillotine
got his name on his invention,
530
00:41:59,085 --> 00:42:02,251
how could we rob the rightful inventor
of death by electricity
531
00:42:02,335 --> 00:42:04,626
of his due credit?
532
00:42:04,710 --> 00:42:08,543
I ask you to please be respectful
as we Westinghouse this horse.
533
00:42:38,460 --> 00:42:41,835
Mr. Edison, Southwick Brown,
Capital Punishment Commission.
534
00:42:41,918 --> 00:42:44,960
You've read, no doubt, of the botched
hangings throughout the Northeast.
535
00:42:45,043 --> 00:42:47,311
The prisoners either choke to death...
536
00:42:47,335 --> 00:42:49,376
...or are violently decapitated.
537
00:42:49,460 --> 00:42:51,293
The spectacle is inhumane.
538
00:42:51,376 --> 00:42:55,168
But the horse... his death
was so calm, you could call it...
539
00:42:57,460 --> 00:42:58,876
poetic.
540
00:43:02,126 --> 00:43:05,460
The governor of New York,
upon my personal recommendation,
541
00:43:05,543 --> 00:43:07,626
would like to explore a death device
542
00:43:07,710 --> 00:43:10,210
which uses electricity on a human being.
543
00:43:10,835 --> 00:43:14,376
It would be our honor
to award you the contract.
544
00:43:15,543 --> 00:43:18,001
- If nothing else, a pleasure.
- I beg your pardon?
545
00:43:18,085 --> 00:43:22,501
To kill a human being under the guise
of justice is... is cockeyed.
546
00:43:22,585 --> 00:43:25,043
There's a big difference
between a horse and a person.
547
00:43:25,126 --> 00:43:28,251
God humanely brings us into this world.
548
00:43:28,835 --> 00:43:32,293
Why would you reject the opportunity
to be the first man
549
00:43:32,376 --> 00:43:34,793
to humanely take us out of it?
550
00:44:34,918 --> 00:44:36,376
William.
551
00:44:38,585 --> 00:44:40,251
I killed my wife.
552
00:44:52,126 --> 00:44:54,210
I'm turning the handle.
553
00:44:55,168 --> 00:44:57,085
Maybe there's more to it than that.
554
00:44:58,085 --> 00:45:00,501
If I'm doing it wrong,
you'll never know I was fooling around
555
00:45:00,585 --> 00:45:03,376
with your phonograph or gramophone,
556
00:45:03,460 --> 00:45:05,543
whatever you end up calling it.
557
00:45:05,626 --> 00:45:07,710
And what is this thing really?
558
00:45:08,501 --> 00:45:12,085
Today's Mary is speaking
to tomorrow's Thomas.
559
00:45:12,168 --> 00:45:13,501
Or from where you sit,
560
00:45:13,585 --> 00:45:16,043
today's Tom is listening
to yesterday's Mary.
561
00:45:18,918 --> 00:45:21,293
I wonder what else you can do with it.
562
00:45:29,543 --> 00:45:31,210
Mr. Tesla,
563
00:45:31,293 --> 00:45:34,269
my son and his idiot friend tell me
you don't want to make arc lights anymore.
564
00:45:34,293 --> 00:45:35,835
Is that true?
565
00:45:35,918 --> 00:45:38,335
Don't look at him, look at me.
I'm your primary shareholder.
566
00:45:38,418 --> 00:45:40,960
No. I already completed
the arc light project.
567
00:45:41,043 --> 00:45:44,793
Completed? You covered one city:
Rahway, New Jersey.
568
00:45:44,876 --> 00:45:47,710
For the love of God, think bigger.
Philadelphia.
569
00:45:47,793 --> 00:45:50,918
You design arc lights to outfit cities.
That was your only job.
570
00:45:51,001 --> 00:45:54,085
No. My AC motor. Okay? We agreed...
571
00:45:54,168 --> 00:45:56,668
- No, I never agreed to anything.
- In this office, you said...
572
00:45:56,751 --> 00:45:57,876
Uh!
573
00:45:57,960 --> 00:46:00,293
Lane, could you wait outside for a moment?
574
00:46:07,210 --> 00:46:09,710
I'm sorry. Don't you realize
you're being fired here?
575
00:46:11,835 --> 00:46:15,626
No. Please, let me work through
what I have in my head.
576
00:46:15,710 --> 00:46:18,876
I will make you the greatest provider
of electrical power in the world.
577
00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:20,751
Better than Edison.
578
00:46:20,835 --> 00:46:23,168
I'm-I'm so close. Just a few months.
579
00:46:27,876 --> 00:46:30,668
You drop in here like you're from Neptune,
580
00:46:30,751 --> 00:46:33,501
like you got a great vision of the future
581
00:46:33,585 --> 00:46:35,686
- that no one understands but you.
- No, please don't touch.
582
00:46:35,710 --> 00:46:37,751
But you're just an immigrant.
583
00:46:38,585 --> 00:46:41,543
Head full of notions,
looking for a handout. You're not Edison.
584
00:46:41,626 --> 00:46:44,751
There's only one Edison. That's why
he's in. There's millions of you.
585
00:46:44,835 --> 00:46:48,960
Big ideas, but you can't see
the real force that moves things.
586
00:46:49,043 --> 00:46:52,001
And it's not AC/DC, it's not currents.
587
00:46:52,668 --> 00:46:54,043
It's currency.
588
00:46:54,626 --> 00:46:56,710
And that's the only motor
I'm interested in.
589
00:46:59,835 --> 00:47:03,585
These patents belong to
the Tesla Electric Light Company.
590
00:47:03,668 --> 00:47:07,251
This is now the Union Electric
and Manufacturing Company,
591
00:47:07,335 --> 00:47:09,376
and I own everything in this office.
592
00:47:10,001 --> 00:47:13,335
Patents, designs, engineers, all mine.
593
00:47:14,585 --> 00:47:17,251
Never going to be anything
named Tesla ever again.
594
00:47:18,626 --> 00:47:22,835
You take your notions
and go back where you came from.
595
00:47:35,335 --> 00:47:37,335
He's snapping up town after town.
596
00:47:38,293 --> 00:47:41,835
Cats, dogs, sheep, 11 horses...
What more do people need to see?
597
00:47:41,918 --> 00:47:44,335
The problem is, no one's actually dying
from alternating,
598
00:47:44,418 --> 00:47:47,376
apart from your cats,
dogs, sheep and 11 horses.
599
00:47:48,668 --> 00:47:51,376
- Sir, I realize I'm only your secretary...
- Just say it.
600
00:47:51,460 --> 00:47:54,335
Bring the phonograph to market.
You can make your own money.
601
00:47:54,418 --> 00:47:57,126
- No, it needs too many improvements.
- Make them. sir.
602
00:47:58,168 --> 00:48:01,168
- Bell is ripping you off.
- Graphophone? He just switched the name.
603
00:48:01,251 --> 00:48:04,227
Direct me to a store where I can buy
yours, and I won't give him the business.
604
00:48:04,251 --> 00:48:06,376
You have a real offer on the table here.
605
00:48:07,043 --> 00:48:10,335
Half a million dollars.
Sir, take the money. You need it.
606
00:48:11,460 --> 00:48:13,460
If Bell ripped you off with the telephone,
607
00:48:13,543 --> 00:48:15,543
he'll do it again with the graphophone.
608
00:48:15,626 --> 00:48:17,793
Did you just misspeak intentionally?
609
00:48:17,876 --> 00:48:19,876
Do you want Chicago?
610
00:48:24,251 --> 00:48:25,751
All right, I'm ready.
611
00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:48,335
A dollar a ball?
612
00:48:49,126 --> 00:48:50,793
So, what's your trade?
613
00:48:50,876 --> 00:48:54,210
Inventor. I fix problems for idiots.
614
00:48:55,293 --> 00:48:58,376
Imagine dictation
without the aid of a stenographer.
615
00:49:00,126 --> 00:49:03,001
Phonographic books
that will speak to blind people.
616
00:49:03,085 --> 00:49:05,668
Reproduction of music. Talking toys.
617
00:49:06,168 --> 00:49:09,001
Clocks that will announce the time.
618
00:49:09,085 --> 00:49:11,335
The preservation of dying languages.
619
00:49:11,418 --> 00:49:13,293
Teaching of elocution.
620
00:49:13,376 --> 00:49:15,918
- You hustled us.
- Yes. No.
621
00:49:16,835 --> 00:49:18,227
I didn't come all this way to lose.
622
00:49:18,251 --> 00:49:21,585
The final capturing of the dying words
of your loved ones.
623
00:49:25,501 --> 00:49:28,585
Mary had a little lamb,
his fleece was white as snow,
624
00:49:28,668 --> 00:49:31,793
and everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.
625
00:49:37,710 --> 00:49:42,001
Well, it's either not possible,
or I'm not the engineer I thought I was.
626
00:49:44,210 --> 00:49:47,751
And he's traveling around the country,
cooking up cats.
627
00:49:47,835 --> 00:49:50,876
George, he's playing dirty. You can too.
628
00:49:50,960 --> 00:49:52,001
Mm.
629
00:49:53,626 --> 00:49:56,085
You know, when I was a boy, my father...
630
00:49:57,335 --> 00:49:59,335
tried to whip me with a branch.
631
00:50:00,376 --> 00:50:04,293
But after the first hit,
it broke into three little pieces.
632
00:50:05,918 --> 00:50:09,251
And we just stood there, looking at
this shattered stick on the ground.
633
00:50:10,876 --> 00:50:14,418
And then I noticed there was
a leather strap hanging on the wall,
634
00:50:14,501 --> 00:50:16,710
so I pointed to it and said,
635
00:50:16,793 --> 00:50:20,210
"Look. That's the better one."
636
00:50:21,418 --> 00:50:22,876
And he stopped.
637
00:50:27,376 --> 00:50:32,043
I can take a beating, but I have
no patience for shoddy craftsmanship.
638
00:50:34,668 --> 00:50:38,460
You are gonna have a working motor
sitting next to your display in Chicago,
639
00:50:38,543 --> 00:50:41,793
come hell, high water,
or the Wizard of Menlo Park.
640
00:50:48,543 --> 00:50:50,251
- Good night, Frank.
- Good night.
641
00:51:49,376 --> 00:51:51,376
So you admit Edison was right?
642
00:52:19,876 --> 00:52:22,168
We will remember Franklin Pope...
643
00:52:23,085 --> 00:52:25,876
for his fearless dedication
to moving us forward.
644
00:52:26,626 --> 00:52:29,751
He tried to see
what was hiding in plain sight.
645
00:52:35,501 --> 00:52:37,168
Today, I am...
646
00:52:39,001 --> 00:52:40,960
filled less with grief than anger,
647
00:52:41,043 --> 00:52:43,501
because what happened
could've been avoided.
648
00:52:45,918 --> 00:52:48,793
Hear me now
as you have never heard me before.
649
00:52:49,626 --> 00:52:51,210
As I breathe...
650
00:52:52,793 --> 00:52:54,960
as long as Westinghouse
stays in business...
651
00:52:56,376 --> 00:52:58,418
more people will die.
652
00:53:18,543 --> 00:53:20,293
My condolences.
653
00:53:22,626 --> 00:53:25,085
Sounds like he was
more than just an employee.
654
00:53:30,168 --> 00:53:32,376
What was his name? Franklin Popes?
655
00:53:33,543 --> 00:53:35,626
Pope. Just one.
656
00:53:36,876 --> 00:53:38,960
- It's a shame.
- Mm.
657
00:53:39,043 --> 00:53:40,585
But I'm here to help.
658
00:53:41,335 --> 00:53:43,210
Now, I know that you, uh,
659
00:53:43,293 --> 00:53:45,335
you wish Edison to quiet down.
660
00:53:48,085 --> 00:53:51,585
So let me combine your companies.
Let me clean up the mess.
661
00:53:55,543 --> 00:53:59,376
You really think Westinghouse Electric
is worth $5 million?
662
00:53:59,460 --> 00:54:02,751
The value of something is the highest
number someone else is willing to pay.
663
00:54:02,835 --> 00:54:06,418
But 800 men will lose their livelihoods.
664
00:54:06,501 --> 00:54:08,668
I will keep your workers.
665
00:54:08,751 --> 00:54:12,293
I will not make the same promise
for your five-day work week.
666
00:54:12,376 --> 00:54:13,418
Mm.
667
00:54:14,918 --> 00:54:17,001
Seems like you're amenable.
668
00:54:19,668 --> 00:54:20,751
Mm.
669
00:54:27,668 --> 00:54:29,626
Which current will you use?
670
00:54:31,126 --> 00:54:33,376
Whichever Edison selects, I suppose.
671
00:54:43,251 --> 00:54:44,585
Absurdity.
672
00:54:45,210 --> 00:54:47,126
You think I'm being absurd?
673
00:54:48,293 --> 00:54:50,168
Yes, I do.
674
00:54:50,251 --> 00:54:52,460
We're overextended, Marguerite.
675
00:54:53,585 --> 00:54:55,501
There's no shame in selling.
676
00:54:59,376 --> 00:55:02,543
What I was always after
was to partner with Edison...
677
00:55:03,585 --> 00:55:05,668
and I have the chance to do that now.
678
00:55:06,876 --> 00:55:10,835
We have no motor, so we're a train into
a mountainside anyway. It's impossible.
679
00:55:10,918 --> 00:55:13,960
I thought "impossible" wasn't a word
in your vocabulary.
680
00:55:20,085 --> 00:55:22,126
I am dissolving Westinghouse Electric.
681
00:55:22,210 --> 00:55:26,418
The proceeds will go to preserve
our other failing enterprises,
682
00:55:26,501 --> 00:55:30,585
and time itself will mend
Edison's mistakes.
683
00:55:30,668 --> 00:55:34,626
You are not a captain
who changes his course with the sea.
684
00:55:34,710 --> 00:55:36,626
We are not on a course!
685
00:55:37,210 --> 00:55:39,043
We're drowning!
686
00:55:39,126 --> 00:55:42,043
This whole thing is costing us a fortune!
687
00:55:42,126 --> 00:55:44,668
- You don't care about money.
- A fortune!
688
00:55:46,001 --> 00:55:49,168
I lived in your parents' house
while you went door-to-door.
689
00:55:49,793 --> 00:55:52,876
Do you want people saying
you stand for everything you don't?
690
00:55:52,960 --> 00:55:55,043
Using your last name as a verb?
691
00:55:55,126 --> 00:55:58,418
Well, how exactly do you suggest
I correct that, dear?
692
00:55:59,876 --> 00:56:03,001
I have you, and I had Frank.
693
00:56:04,585 --> 00:56:05,668
That's it.
694
00:56:06,918 --> 00:56:08,501
I loved the man.
695
00:56:10,293 --> 00:56:14,710
This is really nothing
but a sensible business decision.
696
00:56:16,126 --> 00:56:18,168
- George...
- That's all.
697
00:56:22,751 --> 00:56:24,001
That's all.
698
00:56:30,710 --> 00:56:33,626
Say what you will about
George Westinghouse, he sure is nice.
699
00:57:09,626 --> 00:57:12,876
You've crossed into territory
for the Confederacy.
700
00:57:14,876 --> 00:57:17,918
No, I, uh, I think you're mistaken.
701
00:57:18,460 --> 00:57:20,751
According to my map here...
702
00:57:31,918 --> 00:57:36,585
Though I mourn the loss of my colleague,
misfortune does not trump progress.
703
00:57:38,793 --> 00:57:43,126
Now, it seems to me that Mr. Edison
puts his name on everything
704
00:57:43,210 --> 00:57:46,126
because he's terrified of being forgotten.
705
00:57:47,293 --> 00:57:50,293
If you want to be remembered, it's simple:
shoot a president.
706
00:57:51,251 --> 00:57:54,418
But if you prefer to have
what I call a legacy,
707
00:57:54,501 --> 00:57:57,376
you leave the world
a better place than you found it.
708
00:57:58,418 --> 00:58:01,751
Thomas Alva Edison is a charlatan
709
00:58:01,835 --> 00:58:05,501
who preys on the fears of the common man
710
00:58:05,585 --> 00:58:07,710
because I have the better system.
711
00:58:09,126 --> 00:58:14,210
And because I do have the better system,
Westinghouse Electric shall endure.
712
00:58:14,293 --> 00:58:15,376
Good day.
713
00:58:16,626 --> 00:58:20,085
Westinghouse has taken the lead.
He's not going away.
714
00:58:20,168 --> 00:58:23,918
And while I appreciate your lights,
Mr. Edison, I'm also your customer.
715
00:58:24,501 --> 00:58:27,251
If something comes to my door
and offers me something that I need
716
00:58:27,335 --> 00:58:30,501
that is better than what I have now,
at a cheaper price,
717
00:58:30,585 --> 00:58:33,668
why, I'd be a fool
not to invite him in for tea.
718
00:58:33,751 --> 00:58:36,668
- Is this an ultimatum?
- More of a threat.
719
00:58:36,751 --> 00:58:38,793
If you maintain
that fear is the best strategy,
720
00:58:38,876 --> 00:58:40,960
then you'd better hurry up and try harder.
721
00:58:42,543 --> 00:58:43,585
Time's up.
722
00:58:47,168 --> 00:58:49,251
...man who was handsome and clever
723
00:58:49,335 --> 00:58:51,835
built a box with a crank and a lever
724
00:58:51,918 --> 00:58:55,418
to store his wife's voice,
though he made a poor choice,
725
00:58:55,501 --> 00:58:59,168
because now she can tease him forever.
726
00:59:01,626 --> 00:59:05,043
I couldn't stop it if I wanted to,
727
00:59:05,543 --> 00:59:07,293
which I don't,
728
00:59:07,376 --> 00:59:10,835
because I...
I think it's a remarkable gift.
729
00:59:12,293 --> 00:59:16,210
Electricity will kill that man in Buffalo.
730
00:59:16,293 --> 00:59:19,085
We don't know the voltage.
731
00:59:19,168 --> 00:59:22,876
Too much, and he ignites.
Too little, and he's still alive.
732
00:59:23,460 --> 00:59:25,835
All we need is your advice.
733
00:59:25,918 --> 00:59:29,293
How much is humane?
Where to put the electrode?
734
00:59:29,376 --> 00:59:34,251
And in exchange, I will promise you
something that I know you want.
735
00:59:36,251 --> 00:59:40,585
I will put the Westinghouse name
right out front
736
00:59:40,668 --> 00:59:44,626
as the official electricity used
to kill human beings.
737
00:59:47,001 --> 00:59:51,001
I even think we can get this chair
on display at the Chicago World's Fair.
738
00:59:52,710 --> 00:59:54,376
The future.
739
01:00:02,376 --> 01:00:04,460
My name must never be
associated with this.
740
01:00:04,543 --> 01:00:07,376
I did not provide any consultation,
and you will advertise
741
01:00:07,460 --> 01:00:10,418
that Westinghouse is the best way
to take a human life.
742
01:00:11,501 --> 01:00:13,168
You guarantee your assistance?
743
01:00:15,126 --> 01:00:17,501
You ask a question, and I'll reply.
744
01:00:21,210 --> 01:00:22,793
Burn the correspondence.
745
01:00:24,251 --> 01:00:25,793
Absolutely.
746
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:32,293
Fauteuils and blue painted bergère.
747
01:00:32,376 --> 01:00:34,710
I sold three sets of these
last week alone.
748
01:00:37,085 --> 01:00:39,876
Oh, uh, this is your classic spindle back.
749
01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:42,876
Oh, yes. And these are framed cockpen.
750
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:44,626
Quite popular.
751
01:00:50,960 --> 01:00:53,043
Oh, deportment style.
752
01:00:55,876 --> 01:00:58,710
Would you like four, six, eight, 12?
753
01:00:58,793 --> 01:00:59,835
Just one.
754
01:01:01,585 --> 01:01:05,460
Mr. Brown, the apparatus
consists of a stationary engine,
755
01:01:05,543 --> 01:01:09,376
a Westinghouse alternating dynamo
capable of generating 3,000 volts,
756
01:01:09,460 --> 01:01:12,876
wood chair with headrest,
binding straps and adjustable electrodes.
757
01:01:12,960 --> 01:01:15,168
Burn. TAE.
758
01:01:23,668 --> 01:01:26,168
The voltmeter, ammeter
and switchboard controlling the current
759
01:01:26,251 --> 01:01:29,251
should be located in the execution room
for monitoring.
760
01:01:29,335 --> 01:01:30,918
Burn. TAE.
761
01:01:31,001 --> 01:01:34,460
The dynamo room is communicated
by electric signals. Burn. TAE.
762
01:01:34,543 --> 01:01:38,001
The most effective machines manufactured
by Westinghouse... Burn. TAE.
763
01:01:38,085 --> 01:01:42,168
I authorize payment of $3,600
for your efforts.
764
01:01:42,251 --> 01:01:43,876
Burn. TAE.
765
01:01:43,960 --> 01:01:47,085
The only argument which can be
urged against "Westinghousing"
766
01:01:47,168 --> 01:01:49,251
on the score of cruel punishment is that
767
01:01:49,335 --> 01:01:51,460
the flesh may burn
at the points of contact,
768
01:01:51,543 --> 01:01:54,223
and the amount of current which can be
given without such mutilation
769
01:01:54,293 --> 01:01:56,168
is not yet known.
770
01:01:56,251 --> 01:01:58,501
Burn. TAE.
771
01:02:08,710 --> 01:02:10,950
For someone who's trying to compete
for the World's Fair,
772
01:02:11,001 --> 01:02:12,710
this death-trap business
doesn't look good.
773
01:02:12,793 --> 01:02:17,043
Yeah, I know. It's just Edison
trying to smear me, as usual.
774
01:02:17,126 --> 01:02:19,043
- Can you prove it?
- No.
775
01:02:19,126 --> 01:02:21,585
But I was thinking maybe I could stop it.
776
01:02:22,376 --> 01:02:23,751
You mean me?
777
01:02:24,876 --> 01:02:28,001
You want my advice?
Don't hire me. Save your money.
778
01:02:29,001 --> 01:02:32,251
But I do know a man who could determine
779
01:02:32,335 --> 01:02:35,585
whether Edison has an exploitable
connection with the death chair.
780
01:02:35,668 --> 01:02:39,043
No, I was thinking
we could stop him via legal means.
781
01:02:40,293 --> 01:02:42,751
- You want me to put Edison on trial?
- No.
782
01:02:42,835 --> 01:02:45,168
The chair itself. The Eighth Amendment.
783
01:02:45,251 --> 01:02:47,710
So I'm to get an ax murderer
784
01:02:47,793 --> 01:02:50,335
who readily admits he slaughtered his wife
785
01:02:50,418 --> 01:02:52,251
a what... a sustainment?
786
01:02:52,335 --> 01:02:54,168
This is about showing,
787
01:02:54,251 --> 01:02:57,001
what kind of a man is Thomas Edison?
788
01:02:59,001 --> 01:03:01,126
You just keep my name out of it.
789
01:03:01,210 --> 01:03:03,418
Does your wife know
you're paying for this?
790
01:03:03,501 --> 01:03:05,335
It was her idea.
791
01:03:08,835 --> 01:03:12,251
What precisely makes electricity
not cruel and not inhumane?
792
01:03:12,335 --> 01:03:14,376
The velocity of the current is so great
793
01:03:14,460 --> 01:03:17,501
that the brain
is instantaneously paralyzed.
794
01:03:17,585 --> 01:03:19,293
The subject is dead
795
01:03:19,376 --> 01:03:22,001
before the nerves
can communicate any shock.
796
01:03:22,085 --> 01:03:23,960
How can you know if you haven't proof?
797
01:03:24,043 --> 01:03:25,335
I tested it...
798
01:03:26,085 --> 01:03:28,293
on a gorilla from London Zoo.
799
01:03:28,376 --> 01:03:31,918
Are you connected in any way with
any of the electric lighting companies?
800
01:03:32,001 --> 01:03:33,543
No, sir.
801
01:03:33,626 --> 01:03:37,210
The State calls Thomas Alva Edison.
802
01:03:37,293 --> 01:03:39,710
Will you explain generally
803
01:03:39,793 --> 01:03:42,293
the difference between
your continuous current
804
01:03:42,376 --> 01:03:46,085
and Mr. Westinghouse's
alternating electricity?
805
01:03:46,668 --> 01:03:49,918
A continuous current flows
like water through a pipe,
806
01:03:50,001 --> 01:03:52,210
and alternating current flows
in both directions.
807
01:03:52,293 --> 01:03:54,168
Water. That doesn't sound so dangerous.
808
01:03:54,251 --> 01:03:56,126
Not until you drown.
809
01:03:56,210 --> 01:03:59,001
Why don't you use
Mr. Westinghouse's current?
810
01:03:59,085 --> 01:04:01,418
- I don't like it.
- You think it's dangerous.
811
01:04:01,501 --> 01:04:02,710
Yes, I do.
812
01:04:02,793 --> 01:04:05,043
Suppose you took this...
813
01:04:06,085 --> 01:04:08,501
wicked Westinghouse current...
814
01:04:08,585 --> 01:04:11,335
the one that is going to be used
on Mr. Kemmler here...
815
01:04:12,293 --> 01:04:15,460
now, suppose you kept it up
for five or six minutes.
816
01:04:16,251 --> 01:04:18,710
At 1,500 volts,
817
01:04:18,793 --> 01:04:21,293
how long would it take
before he would feel the heat?
818
01:04:21,376 --> 01:04:24,501
Well, the temperature might rise
819
01:04:24,585 --> 01:04:26,626
four or five degrees above normal
820
01:04:26,710 --> 01:04:29,418
and continue until he was mummified.
821
01:04:30,168 --> 01:04:32,543
And this wouldn't cause considerable pain?
822
01:04:32,626 --> 01:04:34,293
- It would not.
- How do you know?
823
01:04:34,376 --> 01:04:36,751
Because I personally observed
such electricity
824
01:04:36,835 --> 01:04:38,876
being used to execute
a thousand-pound horse.
825
01:04:38,960 --> 01:04:41,186
- And did the horse feel pain?
- If he did, he didn't mention it.
826
01:04:44,168 --> 01:04:46,626
Now, Mr. Edison,
there is a great degree of feeling
827
01:04:46,710 --> 01:04:48,710
between you and Mr. Westinghouse.
828
01:04:48,793 --> 01:04:51,626
I do not dislike Mr. Westinghouse.
829
01:04:51,710 --> 01:04:53,835
There is a contest
between you two, isn't there?
830
01:04:53,918 --> 01:04:55,876
That is not what this is about.
831
01:04:57,085 --> 01:04:59,251
I've been asked
as a dispassionate scientist
832
01:04:59,335 --> 01:05:02,376
to advise on the simple question
of whether death by electricity
833
01:05:02,460 --> 01:05:05,251
is a violation of the Eighth Amendment
and is cruel and unusual.
834
01:05:05,335 --> 01:05:08,668
In my expert opinion,
the only humane method of execution
835
01:05:08,751 --> 01:05:10,751
is Westinghouse alternating current.
836
01:05:10,835 --> 01:05:13,186
Your Honor, Mr. Edison knows
that any current over 30 amperes...
837
01:05:13,210 --> 01:05:16,751
Milliamperes. If you're gonna interrupt,
do so in the proper denominations.
838
01:05:19,335 --> 01:05:20,793
Oh, thank you, Your Honor.
839
01:05:20,876 --> 01:05:22,352
It's my honor.
840
01:05:22,376 --> 01:05:24,710
All right, that's all I need to hear.
841
01:05:35,710 --> 01:05:37,876
What do you two lowlifes want, huh?
842
01:05:37,960 --> 01:05:39,835
Mr. Edison. Mr. Edison.
843
01:05:39,918 --> 01:05:40,960
Huh?
844
01:05:44,210 --> 01:05:45,376
Now look...
845
01:05:45,460 --> 01:05:47,352
I thought you were gonna leave
before I had a chance.
846
01:05:47,376 --> 01:05:51,043
- Mr. Edison, can I get your autograph?
- Uh, yeah, sure, I...
847
01:05:51,126 --> 01:05:53,126
William, do you mind?
848
01:06:04,001 --> 01:06:07,376
I should warn you, there's one thing
that always beats justice.
849
01:06:07,460 --> 01:06:08,585
Money?
850
01:06:08,668 --> 01:06:09,710
Fame.
851
01:06:30,835 --> 01:06:33,335
Oh, is that a New Model Army revolver?
852
01:06:34,001 --> 01:06:36,251
What a lovely machine that is.
853
01:06:37,168 --> 01:06:39,626
- Do you know how it works?
- You want me to show you?
854
01:06:39,710 --> 01:06:43,251
Oh, I didn't mean how it fires.
I simply meant how it works.
855
01:06:44,001 --> 01:06:46,460
It's quite a device.
You should have a look.
856
01:06:46,543 --> 01:06:49,793
You see, they designed the cylinder
so the hammer
857
01:06:49,876 --> 01:06:52,251
doesn't have to sit in an empty chamber.
858
01:06:52,335 --> 01:06:55,210
So I could shoot you six times
instead of five.
859
01:06:55,293 --> 01:06:58,085
Well, I suppose.
860
01:06:59,543 --> 01:07:01,751
They both lied on the stand.
861
01:07:02,668 --> 01:07:06,251
If you're gonna take your shot,
now is the last time to fire.
862
01:07:06,335 --> 01:07:09,543
Sometimes we have to work
outside of the rules to get what's right.
863
01:07:11,543 --> 01:07:13,543
It would be nice if we didn't have to.
864
01:07:15,251 --> 01:07:16,335
Wouldn't it?
865
01:07:17,585 --> 01:07:20,210
- This doesn't make you like him.
- Mm.
866
01:07:23,168 --> 01:07:24,585
So, what will it be?
867
01:08:22,751 --> 01:08:25,251
In my bad ear, it sounded extraordinary.
868
01:08:25,335 --> 01:08:26,501
Father...
869
01:08:30,043 --> 01:08:31,085
Hello.
870
01:08:31,168 --> 01:08:34,001
The apparatus consists
of a stationary engine,
871
01:08:34,085 --> 01:08:36,543
a Westinghouse alternating dynamo
872
01:08:36,626 --> 01:08:39,085
capable of generating 3,000 volts.
873
01:08:39,168 --> 01:08:41,210
Wood chair with headrest.
874
01:08:41,293 --> 01:08:44,085
- Where did you get that?
- I'm sending them to the paper.
875
01:08:44,168 --> 01:08:47,251
Those letters are stolen.
You can't publish them.
876
01:08:47,335 --> 01:08:49,793
- Why not?
- Because they're private correspondences.
877
01:08:49,876 --> 01:08:53,668
Mr. Edison, if you say something
about me or my company again,
878
01:08:53,751 --> 01:08:55,918
I would ask that you tell the truth.
879
01:08:57,460 --> 01:08:59,793
That would be the decent thing to do.
880
01:09:01,751 --> 01:09:02,876
Wouldn't it?
881
01:09:05,251 --> 01:09:08,960
- Why didn't you burn the letters?
- They were from Thomas Edison.
882
01:09:09,043 --> 01:09:11,835
I don't think you appreciate
that this chair is something
883
01:09:11,918 --> 01:09:14,168
to be proud of and remembered for.
884
01:09:14,251 --> 01:09:16,543
I don't even know
how much electricity you need to use.
885
01:09:16,626 --> 01:09:20,251
- You said 1,500 volts.
- I said I think 1,500 volts.
886
01:09:20,335 --> 01:09:23,001
But if all the water in his body
evaporates, then he may ignite.
887
01:09:23,085 --> 01:09:25,793
- So we lower the amount.
- Then you slowly roast him to death.
888
01:09:25,876 --> 01:09:29,418
Listen. You must listen to me.
What you're going to do is wrong.
889
01:09:29,501 --> 01:09:32,293
Now you said that it's inevitable
and somebody else will do it.
890
01:09:32,376 --> 01:09:35,626
But just because somebody else is
gonna do it doesn't mean that you have to.
891
01:09:36,668 --> 01:09:40,876
The State thanks you
for your expert opinion and your help.
892
01:10:00,376 --> 01:10:01,460
What?
893
01:10:04,460 --> 01:10:06,543
- It's not my place to say.
- Say it.
894
01:10:07,293 --> 01:10:10,001
You said you'd never build
a device that would kill anyone.
895
01:10:19,293 --> 01:10:22,210
I make something impossible,
and they rip it away from me,
896
01:10:22,293 --> 01:10:24,585
so I do it again and they do it again.
897
01:10:24,668 --> 01:10:26,918
And again. And again.
898
01:10:29,335 --> 01:10:31,168
This isn't like everything else.
899
01:10:32,918 --> 01:10:34,626
This is everything else.
900
01:10:35,918 --> 01:10:39,793
Our future is not gonna be paved
with bricks but with copper.
901
01:10:41,668 --> 01:10:45,751
Automation, transportation, communication,
and the man that controls that current
902
01:10:45,835 --> 01:10:47,793
controls that future.
903
01:10:48,960 --> 01:10:50,918
But you know Westinghouse is right.
904
01:10:52,626 --> 01:10:54,626
You don't actually believe
that a few accidents
905
01:10:54,710 --> 01:10:56,626
rule out the viability of his current.
906
01:10:56,710 --> 01:10:58,852
- You just don't want to lose.
- I have merely amplified
907
01:10:58,876 --> 01:11:00,960
what no one else
was willing to take seriously.
908
01:11:01,043 --> 01:11:03,376
No, what you did was run him over
with a 12-ton train.
909
01:11:03,460 --> 01:11:05,769
Oh, well, he's the one
that's supposed to only make brakes,
910
01:11:05,793 --> 01:11:07,793
so, who's to blame here?
911
01:11:10,460 --> 01:11:12,626
Switch tonight, and you win.
912
01:11:12,710 --> 01:11:14,793
His current kills people.
913
01:11:14,876 --> 01:11:16,251
Only because you said it will!
914
01:11:16,335 --> 01:11:19,126
Listen, I either stop complaining
about the scavengers in my garden
915
01:11:19,210 --> 01:11:22,751
or build a wall so damn high that people
will never even dare to scale it.
916
01:11:22,835 --> 01:11:24,668
You are the smartest man I know.
917
01:11:24,751 --> 01:11:28,001
Beyond building miracles out of thin air,
918
01:11:28,085 --> 01:11:30,501
I was most impressed by your principles.
919
01:11:32,460 --> 01:11:35,835
You didn't invent the incandescent.
People just think you did.
920
01:11:43,126 --> 01:11:47,918
Let me welcome you to the reality
of how things come into existence.
921
01:11:48,001 --> 01:11:51,043
We all contribute.
That's what invention is.
922
01:11:51,126 --> 01:11:54,918
The salt. The grain. The heat. The heart.
923
01:11:55,001 --> 01:11:58,543
But only one man makes the bread rise.
924
01:12:00,501 --> 01:12:03,043
That's the one that puts it all together
925
01:12:03,126 --> 01:12:06,043
and makes it taste so damn good
that people will go out there
926
01:12:06,126 --> 01:12:10,376
and hand over their hard-won dollars
to buy it.
927
01:12:10,460 --> 01:12:13,460
Mr. Edison, I want you to succeed. I do.
928
01:12:15,751 --> 01:12:18,751
But you have to switch tonight,
or you'll die as PT Barnum
929
01:12:18,835 --> 01:12:20,793
rather than Sir Isaac Newton.
930
01:12:45,543 --> 01:12:48,001
Though he may be unfamiliar to you,
931
01:12:48,085 --> 01:12:51,876
his studies have demonstrated
an understanding of electrical matters
932
01:12:51,960 --> 01:12:55,960
unlike anyone I have ever known,
with respect to the assembled.
933
01:12:56,043 --> 01:12:59,585
Gentlemen and lady, Nikola Tesla.
934
01:13:03,043 --> 01:13:05,585
Straight to our ultimate question,
935
01:13:06,335 --> 01:13:07,835
yes or no...
936
01:13:08,668 --> 01:13:11,376
can alternating currents operate a motor?
937
01:13:13,126 --> 01:13:14,376
Yes.
938
01:13:16,043 --> 01:13:18,168
Now anyone who builds
an alternating system
939
01:13:18,251 --> 01:13:21,668
will be able to do what Edison can
for only a third of the cost.
940
01:13:21,751 --> 01:13:24,001
In figure two of my polyphase system,
the armature coils
941
01:13:24,085 --> 01:13:25,960
are shown in a more advanced position.
942
01:13:26,043 --> 01:13:28,251
2-A illustrates the corresponding
magnetic condition...
943
01:13:28,335 --> 01:13:30,269
Synchronous motor obtained
by winding a laminated ring
944
01:13:30,293 --> 01:13:31,602
provided with pole projections...
945
01:13:31,626 --> 01:13:33,460
The induction is of an ideal character,
946
01:13:33,543 --> 01:13:35,918
being always maintained
at its maximum action.
947
01:13:36,001 --> 01:13:39,501
Mr. Tesla, have you actually built
the motor to test your theories?
948
01:13:39,585 --> 01:13:42,501
But they are not theories.
No, I have not built it.
949
01:13:42,585 --> 01:13:44,460
But that would prove your beliefs.
950
01:13:44,543 --> 01:13:47,376
But they are not beliefs,
and it is absolutely immaterial to me
951
01:13:47,460 --> 01:13:49,460
whether I run the motor in my mind
or in a shop,
952
01:13:49,543 --> 01:13:52,376
for I have built it already
in my imagination, and it is perfect.
953
01:13:52,460 --> 01:13:54,710
- Are you serious?
- Almost always.
954
01:14:04,085 --> 01:14:06,585
Hello. I'm George Westinghouse.
955
01:14:16,668 --> 01:14:18,376
- George Westinghouse?
- Mm-hmm.
956
01:14:18,460 --> 01:14:21,168
An engine that compresses air into a tank
957
01:14:21,251 --> 01:14:24,335
which is taken via pipe
to each brake on the train,
958
01:14:24,418 --> 01:14:26,710
allowing them to operate simultaneously.
959
01:14:28,543 --> 01:14:30,293
Smart design.
960
01:14:30,376 --> 01:14:31,585
Thank you.
961
01:14:39,960 --> 01:14:41,210
Please.
962
01:14:56,751 --> 01:14:59,335
I think this entire room
is slanted two degrees.
963
01:15:03,626 --> 01:15:07,585
I sincerely appreciate you
taking the time to meet with me.
964
01:15:07,668 --> 01:15:10,043
Are-Are you going somewhere?
965
01:15:21,668 --> 01:15:22,710
Oh.
966
01:15:24,626 --> 01:15:26,876
- This is it?
- It's Niagara Falls.
967
01:15:26,960 --> 01:15:28,126
Yeah.
968
01:15:28,210 --> 01:15:31,210
And ever since my school days,
I have pictured in my imagination
969
01:15:31,293 --> 01:15:33,626
a big wheel spinning out lightning.
970
01:15:35,293 --> 01:15:38,543
Did you know that when I first came
to this country, I worked for Mr. Edison?
971
01:15:38,626 --> 01:15:40,460
- I did not.
- Tea?
972
01:15:40,543 --> 01:15:42,085
Sure.
973
01:15:42,918 --> 01:15:45,835
I fixed two of his DC generators
in one night,
974
01:15:45,918 --> 01:15:48,043
and he called me a damn good man.
975
01:15:49,126 --> 01:15:51,251
So, why did he not treat me that way?
976
01:15:51,335 --> 01:15:54,501
I quit.
Tried my own company and was deceived.
977
01:15:54,585 --> 01:15:56,876
Who was I? Some immigrant.
978
01:15:57,918 --> 01:16:00,585
So I took the only job I could find:
digging a ditch.
979
01:16:01,918 --> 01:16:05,460
The men laughed at my fine clothes,
but at the end of the day, I had $2.
980
01:16:08,460 --> 01:16:10,876
What was the ditch to be used for?
981
01:16:11,876 --> 01:16:13,626
Edison Electric.
982
01:16:14,960 --> 01:16:16,835
It felt like digging my own grave.
983
01:16:18,460 --> 01:16:22,418
If Mr. Edison succeeds, he will set us
back so far, we may never recover.
984
01:16:22,501 --> 01:16:24,835
The Fair must be alternating.
985
01:16:24,918 --> 01:16:26,501
It must be my motor.
986
01:16:27,210 --> 01:16:29,960
I have watched as the world talks
of Chicago as a symbol,
987
01:16:30,043 --> 01:16:31,418
a City of Light.
988
01:16:32,251 --> 01:16:35,418
All cities will have light
in your lifetime,
989
01:16:35,501 --> 01:16:40,043
but harnessing the power of Niagara,
that is to see our future.
990
01:16:40,126 --> 01:16:43,793
The Falls? I'm here to talk about Chicago.
991
01:16:43,876 --> 01:16:45,293
Think beyond Chicago.
992
01:16:45,376 --> 01:16:49,085
Energy is as fundamental
as food, as water, as air.
993
01:16:49,168 --> 01:16:52,293
You can... You cannot say
that only those with money can eat
994
01:16:52,376 --> 01:16:54,085
or can breathe.
995
01:16:54,168 --> 01:16:55,977
Yes, the Falls will light up
the Eastern Seaboard.
996
01:16:56,001 --> 01:16:58,894
Yes, there is a great fortune to be made,
and I covet a very nice walking stick
997
01:16:58,918 --> 01:17:01,251
I saw on 63rd and Madison,
but Niagara is the proof
998
01:17:01,335 --> 01:17:03,376
that one day we may detach power
from profit.
999
01:17:03,460 --> 01:17:06,001
- That is how you truly win.
- Mm.
1000
01:17:06,918 --> 01:17:11,085
- How do I know you will not cheat me?
- Well, you don't.
1001
01:17:13,626 --> 01:17:16,376
But the fact is, Mr. Tesla,
I need your motor.
1002
01:17:16,460 --> 01:17:19,918
I may be able to light up the Fair,
but I still can't move a machine.
1003
01:17:20,001 --> 01:17:23,418
If we cannot reach an agreement today,
my company will die
1004
01:17:23,501 --> 01:17:25,376
right here in your hotel room.
1005
01:17:27,876 --> 01:17:31,626
But if it does perish, so might your dream
of harnessing power from Niagara.
1006
01:17:36,085 --> 01:17:38,085
So, do we have a deal?
1007
01:17:39,960 --> 01:17:41,335
Five thousand.
1008
01:17:49,085 --> 01:17:50,376
One thousand.
1009
01:18:02,376 --> 01:18:03,418
Yeah.
1010
01:18:06,168 --> 01:18:08,251
I'll give you $2.50...
1011
01:18:12,710 --> 01:18:14,085
per horsepower.
1012
01:18:15,585 --> 01:18:19,418
I'm no genius myself,
but that should be millions.
1013
01:18:22,335 --> 01:18:24,710
May I treat you to dinner at Delmonico's?
1014
01:18:26,126 --> 01:18:28,043
All right, Mr. Tesla, time to go.
1015
01:18:28,126 --> 01:18:31,446
- No, I will not leave your slanted room.
- He hasn't paid his bill in over a month.
1016
01:18:31,501 --> 01:18:34,793
Well, how much would it cost
to keep him here for the year?
1017
01:18:39,751 --> 01:18:42,793
I need to shed 300 men
from the gas company.
1018
01:18:46,043 --> 01:18:48,126
There's no way around it.
1019
01:18:48,918 --> 01:18:51,718
So we pay their salaries
and move them to the electricity.
1020
01:18:51,793 --> 01:18:53,793
We can't keep doing this.
1021
01:18:54,835 --> 01:18:57,043
If we win, we won't have to.
1022
01:18:59,085 --> 01:19:00,918
You have truth on your side.
1023
01:19:03,126 --> 01:19:07,251
And whatever happens, you'll know
you never did anything but play fair.
1024
01:19:19,210 --> 01:19:20,835
I stole the letters
1025
01:19:20,918 --> 01:19:23,293
linking Edison to the death chair.
1026
01:19:24,668 --> 01:19:27,001
I gave them to the papers to smudge him.
1027
01:19:29,751 --> 01:19:31,626
I know you're disappointed in me.
1028
01:20:01,960 --> 01:20:03,793
What am I looking at here?
1029
01:20:03,876 --> 01:20:07,293
An 80-foot tall tower
covered with 16,000 Edison bulbs,
1030
01:20:07,376 --> 01:20:09,210
topped with an eight-foot lighthouse.
1031
01:20:09,293 --> 01:20:11,501
That signals to the world
that we are the victors.
1032
01:20:11,585 --> 01:20:13,626
Otherwise,
how will people know that we won?
1033
01:20:14,335 --> 01:20:15,668
It's an idol.
1034
01:20:16,585 --> 01:20:18,293
It's a... signature.
1035
01:20:19,710 --> 01:20:23,043
And you'll get something that no one's
ever received from Thomas Edison before.
1036
01:20:23,126 --> 01:20:25,335
- Oh, yes? What's that?
- An apology.
1037
01:20:25,418 --> 01:20:29,460
I admit that spending has been,
well, more than anticipated,
1038
01:20:29,543 --> 01:20:32,710
but now, more than ever,
it's important you must push through.
1039
01:20:32,793 --> 01:20:36,585
Whatever Westinghouse is bidding
for the Fair, we... you must bid more.
1040
01:20:36,668 --> 01:20:37,876
I must.
1041
01:20:39,335 --> 01:20:40,376
"Must."
1042
01:20:42,626 --> 01:20:44,043
Who's Nikola Tesla?
1043
01:20:47,043 --> 01:20:48,168
What about him?
1044
01:20:48,251 --> 01:20:50,668
Well, he gave a talk at Columbia.
1045
01:20:50,751 --> 01:20:54,960
Word is, the Serb is building Westinghouse
a polyphase motor.
1046
01:20:55,543 --> 01:20:59,376
Light and power.
You can do both. He now may as well.
1047
01:20:59,460 --> 01:21:02,144
Who even knows how long it'll take them
to build a functioning model...
1048
01:21:02,168 --> 01:21:05,418
As of this morning,
you have ceded, I have here,
1049
01:21:05,501 --> 01:21:07,960
nine more cities to Westinghouse.
1050
01:21:08,043 --> 01:21:10,168
So, here's what's happening.
1051
01:21:11,210 --> 01:21:15,293
I am merging Edison Electric
with some of the other ankle-biters.
1052
01:21:15,751 --> 01:21:17,751
You are out.
1053
01:21:18,668 --> 01:21:19,876
You know why.
1054
01:21:20,751 --> 01:21:24,293
And I'm happy to tell you, if you require
this moment to be even more unpleasant.
1055
01:21:24,376 --> 01:21:26,585
You will receive stock,
1056
01:21:26,668 --> 01:21:29,043
and you will retain a seat on the board.
1057
01:21:35,710 --> 01:21:37,085
Who's gonna present? You?
1058
01:21:37,168 --> 01:21:39,793
- Good God, no.
- You tell me now?
1059
01:21:39,876 --> 01:21:41,977
I was here. I thought you deserved
to hear it face-to-face.
1060
01:21:42,001 --> 01:21:45,126
No, you didn't.
You just wanted to waste my time
1061
01:21:45,210 --> 01:21:47,335
and get me to sign autographs
for children.
1062
01:21:48,460 --> 01:21:50,602
- What are you going to call it then?
- That's your concern?
1063
01:21:50,626 --> 01:21:52,293
Edison Electric. It has to be.
1064
01:21:52,376 --> 01:21:55,876
Edison and electricity are synonymous,
Morgan. The bulb...
1065
01:21:55,960 --> 01:21:58,876
I do not attach a losing name
to a fledgling enterprise.
1066
01:21:58,960 --> 01:22:01,335
Now that your letters have leaked,
you've lost credibility.
1067
01:22:01,418 --> 01:22:02,538
- So, what is it?
- The name?
1068
01:22:02,585 --> 01:22:04,210
Yes, the goddamn name!
1069
01:22:04,293 --> 01:22:07,085
The contract just says General Electric,
but I'll think of something.
1070
01:22:07,168 --> 01:22:08,293
I can be creative too.
1071
01:22:13,960 --> 01:22:15,043
Yeah.
1072
01:22:17,876 --> 01:22:18,960
Mr. Insull.
1073
01:22:21,293 --> 01:22:22,418
A moment.
1074
01:23:01,710 --> 01:23:04,668
He said they'd keep your name attached
as long as you didn't pursue action
1075
01:23:04,751 --> 01:23:06,918
or speak negatively to the press
about the merger.
1076
01:23:07,001 --> 01:23:08,335
What did he offer you?
1077
01:23:09,460 --> 01:23:11,420
- Tell me.
- Vice president, but I turned it down.
1078
01:23:11,460 --> 01:23:12,626
- You should take it.
- Why?
1079
01:23:12,710 --> 01:23:14,602
Alternating current...
what's the transmission voltage?
1080
01:23:14,626 --> 01:23:15,835
230,000 volts.
1081
01:23:15,918 --> 01:23:17,668
What's the filament on a 12,000-hour lamp?
1082
01:23:17,751 --> 01:23:19,852
- Carbonized Japanese bamboo.
- What do I eat for breakfast?
1083
01:23:19,876 --> 01:23:21,102
- Pie.
- So, what's the surprise?
1084
01:23:21,126 --> 01:23:23,960
Of course he needs you.
You're me, but a human being.
1085
01:23:32,960 --> 01:23:34,626
Look around the room.
1086
01:23:34,710 --> 01:23:36,126
- Hmm?
- Who's missing?
1087
01:23:38,210 --> 01:23:41,418
Edison General Electric Company, please.
1088
01:23:41,501 --> 01:23:43,251
General Electric?
1089
01:23:43,335 --> 01:23:45,960
- Edison General Electric Company.
- Yes.
1090
01:23:46,043 --> 01:23:47,876
Ah!
1091
01:24:01,085 --> 01:24:02,335
He's 12.
1092
01:24:02,418 --> 01:24:05,960
Mr. Insull, these are
the committee members of...
1093
01:24:06,043 --> 01:24:08,585
Listen closely.
Focus on the quality of the light.
1094
01:24:08,668 --> 01:24:10,751
I don't care what the courts say.
1095
01:24:10,835 --> 01:24:12,418
Westinghouse ripped off my bulbs,
1096
01:24:12,501 --> 01:24:15,126
and the good news for you
is he did a terrible job.
1097
01:24:15,210 --> 01:24:18,418
They are outdoor bulbs,
so they have a life of about two hours.
1098
01:24:18,501 --> 01:24:20,418
So focus on the replacement time.
1099
01:24:21,501 --> 01:24:25,168
Talk about the superiority of ours,
as if there's no competition.
1100
01:24:25,751 --> 01:24:28,293
Use terms like "standard," "purest,"
1101
01:24:28,376 --> 01:24:30,376
"the most beautiful light," et cetera.
1102
01:24:30,460 --> 01:24:33,102
Find out what kind of men they are.
There are really only two types.
1103
01:24:33,126 --> 01:24:36,543
The first believe themselves to be
practical, but they're secret dreamers.
1104
01:24:36,626 --> 01:24:38,543
They're the ones who'll take the risks.
1105
01:24:38,626 --> 01:24:41,043
The second, well, they'll smile
and thank you for the show,
1106
01:24:41,126 --> 01:24:42,835
but they'll vote with their wallets.
1107
01:24:42,918 --> 01:24:46,710
Unless Westinghouse is mortgaging
everything he's worth on this bid,
1108
01:24:46,793 --> 01:24:48,751
Morgan has you in good stead
with the money men.
1109
01:24:48,835 --> 01:24:51,460
So your only real job
is to look the dreamers in the eye
1110
01:24:51,543 --> 01:24:53,251
and promise them magic.
1111
01:24:53,335 --> 01:24:56,376
Now, explain back to me everything
that you remember about a parallel
1112
01:24:56,460 --> 01:24:58,894
and series of electric circuits
using none of the words I just said.
1113
01:25:00,835 --> 01:25:03,501
Though I am young,
I am an expert in these matters,
1114
01:25:03,585 --> 01:25:06,585
rivaled only really by Mr. Edison himself.
1115
01:25:06,668 --> 01:25:09,376
Should you choose Westinghouse, then...
1116
01:25:09,460 --> 01:25:11,960
then yes, there is a possibility
1117
01:25:12,043 --> 01:25:15,085
you'll be putting in jeopardy
the lives of 28 million people.
1118
01:25:16,335 --> 01:25:20,251
Even if Westinghouse were to make
even the smallest of errors,
1119
01:25:20,335 --> 01:25:22,585
unintentional, of course,
1120
01:25:22,668 --> 01:25:24,668
a visiting politician, a wife,
1121
01:25:24,751 --> 01:25:27,001
even a seven-year-old girl
may lean against a lamppost
1122
01:25:27,085 --> 01:25:29,001
and be struck dead immediately.
1123
01:25:29,668 --> 01:25:31,001
There you have it.
1124
01:25:31,085 --> 01:25:34,335
Mr. Westinghouse's brand of electricity
is fatal.
1125
01:25:34,418 --> 01:25:36,835
Thank you, Mr. Insull.
1126
01:25:36,918 --> 01:25:38,501
Just to be clear, sir,
1127
01:25:38,585 --> 01:25:41,751
any electrical current
over 200 milliamperes can be deadly.
1128
01:25:41,835 --> 01:25:43,251
Even yours?
1129
01:25:51,210 --> 01:25:53,293
Mr. Westinghouse,
these are the committee members
1130
01:25:53,376 --> 01:25:55,126
of grounds and buildings:
1131
01:25:55,210 --> 01:25:57,793
Charles Schwab, Craig Cannon,
1132
01:25:57,876 --> 01:26:00,001
- Mayor Cregier, of course.
- Oh, of course.
1133
01:26:00,085 --> 01:26:02,543
Victor Lawson of the Chicago Daily News,
1134
01:26:02,626 --> 01:26:04,960
and the Honorable Judge Tree.
1135
01:26:05,043 --> 01:26:06,460
I'm Daniel Burnham.
1136
01:26:06,543 --> 01:26:10,751
Respectfully, we ask that you please
keep your remarks to one hour.
1137
01:26:10,835 --> 01:26:12,501
That won't be necessary.
1138
01:26:13,210 --> 01:26:15,460
- Here you go. Sir.
- Thank you.
1139
01:26:17,043 --> 01:26:18,210
Hmm.
1140
01:26:20,835 --> 01:26:22,585
My bid.
1141
01:26:22,668 --> 01:26:24,376
These are all your figures?
1142
01:26:24,460 --> 01:26:26,710
Yes, sir. Independent estimates.
1143
01:26:26,793 --> 01:26:30,126
Before we, uh,
get into the messy business,
1144
01:26:30,210 --> 01:26:33,335
let us begin
with this most general question:
1145
01:26:33,418 --> 01:26:38,210
Why should we grant Westinghouse Electric
the contract for the World's Fair?
1146
01:26:38,293 --> 01:26:42,960
Well, I guess because
our system works significantly better,
1147
01:26:43,043 --> 01:26:44,210
and, uh...
1148
01:26:46,543 --> 01:26:49,585
because our system
is significantly cheaper.
1149
01:26:54,751 --> 01:26:57,626
Mr. Schwab, Mr. Higinbotham, Mr. Cannon,
1150
01:26:57,710 --> 01:27:00,918
Mayor Cregier, Mr. Lawson, Judge Tree,
1151
01:27:01,001 --> 01:27:02,293
and Mr. Burnham,
1152
01:27:03,043 --> 01:27:05,960
thank you very much for your time
and your consideration.
1153
01:27:19,876 --> 01:27:22,210
Financially, it's clear.
We just take the better bid.
1154
01:27:22,293 --> 01:27:25,210
- Look, Westinghouse is dangerous.
- Potentially dangerous.
1155
01:27:25,293 --> 01:27:27,293
You even printed it in your own paper.
1156
01:27:27,376 --> 01:27:30,793
Alternating will be used
to kill that man in Buffalo.
1157
01:27:43,043 --> 01:27:44,835
They both light up lights, right?
1158
01:27:44,918 --> 01:27:47,918
Westinghouse saves us some money.
Thomas Edison sells tickets.
1159
01:27:51,376 --> 01:27:54,210
What I wouldn't give to flip through that.
1160
01:27:54,293 --> 01:27:56,960
It's like a handbook
to the future, isn't it?
1161
01:28:00,835 --> 01:28:03,668
- We need a clear majority, gentlemen.
- Don't you have stock in GE?
1162
01:28:03,751 --> 01:28:05,126
That's irrelevant.
1163
01:28:06,668 --> 01:28:09,585
No one has ever done
what you have done for me.
1164
01:28:09,668 --> 01:28:13,126
The value of something
isn't what someone's willing to pay,
1165
01:28:13,210 --> 01:28:16,376
but the value of something
is what it contributes.
1166
01:28:16,460 --> 01:28:20,085
When we vote again, Burnham,
you can telephone the winner tonight.
1167
01:28:24,626 --> 01:28:27,126
Is it true you were born
during a lightning storm?
1168
01:28:28,210 --> 01:28:29,835
It is true.
1169
01:28:32,001 --> 01:28:34,418
All right. Tell me one thing in that book.
1170
01:28:36,793 --> 01:28:39,918
Look, you and Mr. Edison, you spend
all your time on either end of the system,
1171
01:28:40,001 --> 01:28:41,918
the dynamos and the lamps.
1172
01:28:42,001 --> 01:28:44,085
But what about what is in between?
1173
01:28:44,168 --> 01:28:45,585
- The wires?
- Mm.
1174
01:28:46,668 --> 01:28:49,376
Do we need them?
1175
01:29:04,585 --> 01:29:08,585
The problem is, despite
all the advantages of the Remington...
1176
01:29:13,001 --> 01:29:16,418
it doesn't fix the fact that
you just dampened the gunpowder.
1177
01:29:48,418 --> 01:29:49,960
What's this?
1178
01:29:52,835 --> 01:29:56,460
This is gonna do for the eye
what the phonograph did for the ear.
1179
01:30:02,876 --> 01:30:03,960
Dot?
1180
01:30:20,543 --> 01:30:21,585
Again.
1181
01:30:24,960 --> 01:30:26,043
Again!
1182
01:31:58,835 --> 01:32:00,751
Do you have any final words?
1183
01:32:03,043 --> 01:32:05,418
I believe I'm going to a better place.
1184
01:32:07,793 --> 01:32:09,210
Goodbye, William.
1185
01:32:17,751 --> 01:32:21,210
We live in a higher civilization...
1186
01:32:22,168 --> 01:32:23,626
from this day.
1187
01:33:42,001 --> 01:33:45,418
"An awful spectacle,
far worse than hanging.
1188
01:33:45,501 --> 01:33:49,626
George Westinghouse:
'They would have done better with an ax.'
1189
01:33:49,710 --> 01:33:51,835
Sizzling sound. A billow of smoke
1190
01:33:51,918 --> 01:33:54,251
that filled the room
with the odor of burning hair."
1191
01:33:55,751 --> 01:33:57,835
Well, at least it happened to a murderer.
1192
01:33:59,710 --> 01:34:02,335
At least
they'll never use it again to kill anyone.
1193
01:34:09,918 --> 01:34:11,918
Soon all these people
will have electric light,
1194
01:34:12,001 --> 01:34:14,293
and no one will even remember
it ever happened.
1195
01:34:15,835 --> 01:34:18,085
I have books so full of ideas
1196
01:34:18,168 --> 01:34:21,251
it would take me more than 12 lifetimes
to execute them.
1197
01:34:22,751 --> 01:34:25,126
So let the man have his fair
and waterfall.
1198
01:34:30,418 --> 01:34:32,043
Well, for what's it's worth,
1199
01:34:32,585 --> 01:34:36,126
I'd much rather have worked for you
than Westinghouse any day.
1200
01:34:36,210 --> 01:34:37,376
Why is that?
1201
01:34:38,293 --> 01:34:40,585
Well, I wouldn't have had as much fun,
would I?
1202
01:35:41,710 --> 01:35:43,835
Have you seen much of the fair?
1203
01:35:43,918 --> 01:35:47,168
- A Muybridge lecture, Little Egypt.
- Oh, the dancer.
1204
01:35:47,251 --> 01:35:48,626
- You saw her?
- No.
1205
01:35:49,501 --> 01:35:52,626
Well, she was... If you get the time.
1206
01:35:53,543 --> 01:35:54,585
Hmm.
1207
01:35:59,585 --> 01:36:02,251
Don't you think
a fence is a unique creation?
1208
01:36:04,043 --> 01:36:07,085
Your neighbor puts one up,
and suddenly one becomes two.
1209
01:36:08,001 --> 01:36:11,418
You also have a fence.
There's only one problem.
1210
01:36:11,501 --> 01:36:14,751
You see, one person
on one side of the fence designed it,
1211
01:36:14,835 --> 01:36:17,043
one person on one side built it,
1212
01:36:17,126 --> 01:36:19,293
and one person paid for it,
1213
01:36:19,376 --> 01:36:23,126
and yet the other person receives
a fine, free fence.
1214
01:36:25,835 --> 01:36:27,793
I didn't take your ideas.
1215
01:36:28,626 --> 01:36:29,876
Mr. Edison?
1216
01:36:31,126 --> 01:36:32,168
Sure.
1217
01:36:34,001 --> 01:36:35,126
Thank you.
1218
01:36:36,126 --> 01:36:39,251
- I was wondering about one thing.
- Oh, I'm sure there were many.
1219
01:36:39,335 --> 01:36:43,210
I was gonna invite you to dinner again,
1220
01:36:43,293 --> 01:36:45,710
but I suppose now
is as good a time as any.
1221
01:36:45,793 --> 01:36:47,269
You want to know
what was in the 13-hour bulb?
1222
01:36:47,293 --> 01:36:49,460
- I know how it works.
- Yeah, I know you do.
1223
01:36:49,543 --> 01:36:51,543
I only wondered what it felt like.
1224
01:36:53,585 --> 01:36:54,960
- Pardon?
- The bulb.
1225
01:36:55,960 --> 01:36:57,335
When you knew.
1226
01:36:57,876 --> 01:37:00,251
What was the feeling in that moment?
1227
01:37:08,668 --> 01:37:10,293
I can't tell you. I mean...
1228
01:37:12,126 --> 01:37:16,835
It's impossible to describe the feeling
because it was impossible.
1229
01:37:17,751 --> 01:37:20,710
Years of work.
Ten thousand different filaments.
1230
01:37:21,210 --> 01:37:23,501
When the thread went in the bulb,
as usual,
1231
01:37:23,585 --> 01:37:26,501
we placed our bets
and the generator sputtered to life
1232
01:37:26,585 --> 01:37:30,335
and the ball began to glow, we didn't
expect anything but another failure.
1233
01:37:32,460 --> 01:37:34,418
Then something started to happen.
1234
01:37:38,085 --> 01:37:40,876
See, our best filament
only lasted ten minutes,
1235
01:37:41,585 --> 01:37:44,710
and this fluke was rounding 20,
1236
01:37:44,793 --> 01:37:46,960
so people started to chatter.
1237
01:37:47,043 --> 01:37:50,835
And 30 minutes, 40 minutes,
an hour, two hours.
1238
01:37:50,918 --> 01:37:53,043
Then people started to shout.
1239
01:37:53,126 --> 01:37:55,793
And remember,
we hadn't got past ten minutes.
1240
01:37:56,585 --> 01:37:59,876
The boys were climbing up the walls,
tearing their hair out, and...
1241
01:38:01,710 --> 01:38:03,585
because it was impossible.
1242
01:38:04,626 --> 01:38:08,001
Seven hours. Eight hours. Nine.
1243
01:38:09,501 --> 01:38:11,335
We were silent when we hit ten.
1244
01:38:13,668 --> 01:38:16,043
Just sat around that glowing bubble,
1245
01:38:16,126 --> 01:38:19,210
drunk on our own magic,
staring at it like it...
1246
01:38:19,293 --> 01:38:22,335
I don't know, like it was the baby Jesus
playing Mozart.
1247
01:38:26,001 --> 01:38:29,335
After 13 and a half hours,
the glass cracked, and I knew it.
1248
01:38:31,668 --> 01:38:33,543
The world would never be the same.
1249
01:38:35,668 --> 01:38:38,751
I'm working on something now,
something so new that...
1250
01:38:40,376 --> 01:38:44,126
people will forget that my name
was ever associated with electricity.
1251
01:38:44,210 --> 01:38:46,335
I wonder if you know what it is yet.
1252
01:38:52,501 --> 01:38:54,585
You know, I think the solution is...
1253
01:38:55,251 --> 01:38:57,293
to divide the cost of the fence.
1254
01:38:59,710 --> 01:39:02,835
Or you cannot build a fence at all.
1255
01:39:05,710 --> 01:39:07,751
Your garden would be twice as big.
1256
01:39:08,501 --> 01:39:10,501
Wouldn't it, Tom?
1257
01:39:17,960 --> 01:39:19,918
If nothing else, a pleasure.
1258
01:39:22,168 --> 01:39:23,710
Enjoy the fair, George.
1259
01:39:41,793 --> 01:39:45,501
We build monuments to speak
to the future, to say, "We were here.
1260
01:39:47,210 --> 01:39:48,668
We have lived."
1261
01:39:50,001 --> 01:39:53,751
A true legacy
isn't what we build up to the heavens
1262
01:39:53,835 --> 01:39:55,918
or carve deep into stone.
1263
01:39:57,085 --> 01:39:59,251
Rocks will crumble,
1264
01:39:59,335 --> 01:40:00,960
paper disintegrates,
1265
01:40:02,001 --> 01:40:03,876
and bone turns to powder.
1266
01:40:05,460 --> 01:40:08,418
Only that
which isn't in the physical realm
1267
01:40:08,501 --> 01:40:11,043
and reaches in both directions
can be eternal.
1268
01:40:12,876 --> 01:40:14,293
Our ideas.
1269
01:40:16,251 --> 01:40:18,251
They are what we leave behind.
1270
01:40:19,710 --> 01:40:22,126
And only they
are what can push us forward.