Poll: Tesla vs Edison

[So]

Tesla was the better engineer and inventor and I am an EE, so I should vote for Tesla, but Edison invented the modern Think Tank / Research Lab, which had far more wide effects than any single technical invention I'm torn.

Eh, voted tesla.

 

[sonambulo]

Tesla.

Edison was a dick and a thief.

 

[OOBradm]

+1 Edison for alphabetical reasons

 

[jagec]

"Nikolai Tesla" is just WAY too cool a name to vote against.

 

[Auric]

Oh yeah, and Telsa and friends didn't murder animals in public to promote their financial interests.

 

[IEC]

A Tesla coil can fry a Christmas tree in spectacular fashion. Edison is so obsolete, his light bulbs are going to be replaced soon... 😉

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

As I'm reading about Tesla on Wikipedia....

"He greatly disliked touching round objects and human hair other than his own."

Hmmm...

"He was celibate and claimed that his chastity was very helpful to his scientific abilities"

Well, that would explain it =P

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Tesla. AC and wireless electricity ftw.

 

[Tylanner]

Did Tesla successfully replicate himself? I mean did he father a genius child?

 

[jjzelinski]

He also had a perfect memory and was a synesthetic.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Fond memories of owning fools with my Tesla coils in Command & Conquer back in the day.

Check this out!

I vote Tesla. 😀

 

[Agentbolt]

Dude, this isn't even a fair fight. Tesla coils could singlehandedly eradicate an entire invading force. Name one thing Edison did for fantasy warfare. Exactly.

Seriously though, Tesla fucking ruled. That Mythbusters episode where they attached that earthquake machine that was the size of a shoebox to a BRIDGE and could actually feel the bridge vibrating from hundreds of feet away? Awesome.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Tesla, no question about it at all. Read a book on them and there's no way you can disagree - he dug ditches to save money for his projects because he didn't believe in taking outside investors, how's that for dedication? Yeah, maybe not the smartest way of doing things, but it's what worked for him, and the rest of the damn world.

 

[IronWing]

Edison. America, f yeah!

 

[Pepsei]

this isn't a fair fight... looking at both... tesla is better.

 

[ForumMaster]

Tesla Troopers. need i say anything more? 😛

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
edison invented the light bulb.

But he didn't invent CFLs :|

 

[Darwin333]

This shouldn't even be a question for anyone who has actually done a bit of research on both. Tesla wins by a LONG shot.

Not only did Tesla invent AC it is not as well known that he also invented radio (Marconi simply sent the first transmission across the Atlantic using more than a dozen of Tesla's patents).

Then there is the "cool" factor. Which are they typically known for?

Edison: invented the light bulb
Tesla: Master of lightning (winner)


Tesla was WAY ahead of his time and one can only wonder how much more advanced we would be if Tesla didn't have to deal with some of the hurdles he faced, including Edison's failed attempt to discredit AC. One of the best thing about Tesla was he didn't care much about the credit or getting filthy rich. He was interested in the science.

 

[Darwin333]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
edison invented the light bulb.

But he didn't invent CFLs :|

Ironically enough, Nikola Tesla did invent fluorescent lighting.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
edison invented the light bulb.

No. Edison *patented* the light bulb. While he worked on developing an incandescent lightbulb, despite what the 3rd grade science books imply, it wasn't Edison acting on his own in a stroke of genius.

 

[destrekor]

Originally posted by: BrownTown

Originally posted by: brxndxn
I believe that if Edison was not in Tesla's way, we would be much more advanced than we are now.

Tesla believed he could develop unlimited electrical power for the entire world that is transported through air... the thing is.. he probby could have.

No, what Tesla wanted to do is transmit power through the ground not through the air. And no, just because Tesla was a genius does not mean he can someone miracle electricity out of thin air. As for power running though the ground that works just fine they use it in DC power lines and tons of other places.

EDIT: One might also want to point out that while AC pwned DC the reverse is true for the companies they were associated with as General Electric pwned Westinghouse (except in nuclear reactors where Westinghouse wins although "Westinghouse" doesn't actually exist anymore it was bought by some Japanese firm).

but some of the best stuff was developed in the part of the firm that went on to be sold to Northrup Grumman, which as far as I'm concerned, is a great company in of itself, and thus just further magnifies the awesomeness that is NG and Westinghouse Electric (defense) combined. 🙂
hell, iirc, Westinghouse developed aircraft-based RADAR. That became immensely important and has helped lead the US to be the masters of radar, well masters of anti-radar: stealth. 🙂

 

[LordMorpheus]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
I believe that if Edison was not in Tesla's way, we would be much more advanced than we are now.

Tesla believed he could develop unlimited electrical power for the entire world that is transported through air... the thing is.. he probby could have.

It's called a Tesla coil, he made it. It works .... but, it's highly inefficient and incredibly dangerous, not to mention that any delicate solid-state electronics near a coil can be damaged pretty easily.

I'm not saying it's not a big or cool invention, but it's not suitable for use the way Tesla envisioined.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
edison invented the light bulb.

No. Edison *patented* the light bulb. While he worked on developing an incandescent lightbulb, despite what the 3rd grade science books imply, it wasn't Edison acting on his own in a stroke of genius.

Shh... next thing you'll be telling them that Bell didn't really invent the telephone. Oh wait, he didn't.

This isn't really a fair fight. Edison was more of an entrepreneur than an inventor. His only truly unique and profound invention was the phonograph. While Tesla was a true early electrical genius.

 

[MegaVovaN]

Tesla FTMFW, werd.
DONE.

 

[hellokeith]

Edison was a lackluster garage-shop inventor. Edison and so many other stole concepts and research from Tesla, they even sold products that were patented by Tesla because there wasn't any real patent enforcement.

AC, multi-phase AC, brushless electric motors, wireless communications (Tesla had an RF remote control boat like 85 years ago), flourescent lighting, Tesla coils.. AND the radio (thank you Mr. Marconi you thief).

Tesla FTW.