Edison didn’t hold the patents on AC power distribution, and his DC system was unviable outside of cities. So he held demonstrations of the “dangers” of AC current and heavily pushed the electric chair, which ran on AC power. I think the tagline was “Do you want the hangman’s current running through your walls?”
Small consulation was that the Tesla/Westinghouse AC system won out in the end anyway…
Edison: “Invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
Tesla: “If he was able to math, he wouldn’t perspire so much.”
Cruel irony of this was that Tesla died forgotten and Edison died a rich man.
