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dan_dares t1_j463aey wrote

Failed 700 times, steal someone elses idea..

"Hey guys, I got it to work!"

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freshgrilled t1_j46tpms wrote

Tesla: "I made something!" Edison: "Oooh... that's nice! Let me just take some notes." Edison to a crowd a couple of days later: "Look everyone, I made something!" Everyone else: "Oooh... That's nice! You're a genius!"

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Ishidan01 t1_j47h5m2 wrote

Edison: I made something!

Tesla: I could make it better.

Edison: Bet ya 50 large you can't.

Tesla: I made it better.

Edison: yoink

Tesla: Where's my 50 grand?

Edison: It was just a joke, bro!

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Lost_vob t1_j490bxo wrote

This never happened. Tesla did have a problem with one of the managers he worked eith while at menlow park, not Edison himself. Tesla was a pretty avid gambler, and he despised people who welched on bets, so he rage quit.

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Kurdt234 t1_j492reo wrote

All Edison did was wait for other peoples patents to expire and when people didn't renew them, like tesla who figured everyone should have free reign of his patents, would buy them up and repatent them.

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masu94 t1_j47wsbb wrote

This advice does not work for gamblers!

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HappyHighwayman t1_j46mi69 wrote

Didn’t he steal peoples inventions ?

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100FootWallOfFog t1_j47g6o0 wrote

Yeah but he had to steal 700 of them before he found one that worked, so, you know, credit due and all that....

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eivind2610 t1_j47hyed wrote

He also used other people's inventions to electrocute and kill children's pets, as well as a freaking elephant, to 'prove' said inventions were dangerous (forgetting to mention that mostly anything can be dangerous if you specifically set out to make it dangerous).

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Lost_vob t1_j490tij wrote

Neither of these things happened. These are both myths created by scammers and click bait websites to drive traffic. People love the "you didn't learn this is school" factoids. The problem is that 9 times out of 10 the reason you didn't learn it in school is cause it's not true lol.

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jackinsomniac t1_j49ldwe wrote

What Edison did is create a huge "invention lab" with tons of new equipment, and a standing order to the library to automatically order any new books on science & technology, and have them delivered. It was state-of-the-art.

He created it for himself after some of his earlier inventions took off, and to invite other inventors to use it for free under one condition: Edison owns the rights to whatever you create with his lab, tools, & resources.

The thing is, if you're a programmer, engineer, architect, etc. this is 100% standard practice now: whatever you create on the company's time with company resources, the company owns. If that's "stealing", every single modern company does it today, and we don't even blink at it. Edison is mainly guilty of starting this practice.

He wasn't always that way either. He created his first invention as a teenager, and teamed up with a businessman to help him sell it. He didn't understand the paperwork, and unknowingly signed away all his rights to the new invention, and the businessman profited from his work while he got nothing. He swore that day, to never let it happen again. He realized the business angle of being an inventor is just as important.

He wasn't "just a thief". He was an inventor in his own right, and loved it. On his wedding night he didn't even go to bed to consummate the marriage, he returned to his shop to continue working. His own children regularly had to take his plate of dinner out to his shop, because he wouldn't sit down at the table to eat with his family. Sounds like a guy who actually loves the craft to me.

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Lost_vob t1_j49n8yv wrote

Someone once said "Edison's greatest invention was the conception of the commercial lab." That's pretty accurate, though I think Bell had one himself too.

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jackinsomniac t1_j49nx94 wrote

It really was a mini-Renaissance for technology during those times. The reason Tesla, Edison, & Bell lived around the same time, was because the powers of electricity were still being discovered, and people realized there's a whole slew of new inventions we could now create with it. They were all smart guys, but also, "born in the right place at the right time."

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Lost_vob t1_j49ozqq wrote

Definitely right time. It was a time when humanity broke free from a bottleneck in progress. Several breakthroughs at once branched off into a huge world of possibilities previously inaccessible. Transit, communication, electricity, all hit the world at once. It is a fascinating time. A "Dawning of a new age" kind of time.

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FirstSynapse t1_j4b3t2k wrote

> The thing is, if you're a programmer, engineer, architect, etc. this is 100% standard practice now: whatever you create on the company's time with company resources, the company owns. If that's "stealing", every single modern company does it today, and we don't even blink at it.

There is an important difference you're not mentioning. Companies don't just allow people to create things for free using the company's resources. Companies HIRE those workers and pay them a salary to do so. What you describe Edison did is a predatory practice to attract passionate people who have limited funds. If the rights of the inventions were shared by both parties, it would be a different story, as in one provides the resources and the other provides the time, work and ideas and then both own a portion of the patent. If he hired them, then he would provide compensation for that work in hopes they would produce something useful for him to recover that investment. But why would anyone in their right mind work for free just to have everything they create out of passion taken away from them benefited from by a greedy businessman?

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[deleted] t1_j4alpqi wrote

[deleted]

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Lost_vob t1_j4am6mw wrote

The wired article has no sources because it's total bullshit. Did you read your wiki article? From your wiki page:

>"In popular culture, Thompson and Dundy's killing of Topsy has switched attribution, with claims it was an anti-alternating current demonstration organized by Thomas A. Edison during the war of the currents. Edison was never at Luna Park and the electrocution of Topsy took place ten years after the war of currents."

Blaming Edison for Topsy's death is an insult to her memory and a slap in the face to animals across the globe facing unethical treatment at the hands of their handlers for the entertainment of humanity. THAT is the true take away here.

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eivind2610 t1_j4baf00 wrote

I specified in a different comment, which you seemingly didn't read. I believed this to be true, but read up on it after my initial comment, and found out a bit more about what actually happened.

​

The elephant thing was only indirectly related to him - not false, but not completely true either. The elephant was indeed electocuted, and someone from Edison's company was invited as essentially "guests of honor" to watch the electrocution. They filmed the event, which I believe is considered the first filmed execution of an animal, and the film was dedicated to Thomas Edison - which, you know, even that is a pretty messed up thing to do.

As for the pets: He didn't personally electrocute them, but he actively backed and supported a campaign that paid kids a quarter for pets and small animals - "coinciding" with a streak of missing pets in the area - only to use DC power to torture them, then AC power to kill them. Again: He didn't personally flip the switch... but he provided the equipment and the resources needed, and actively supported what they were doing.

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Lost_vob t1_j4bkzzz wrote

Edison's hadn't has anything to do with "Edison Electric" or the electrical industry for over a decade at this point. The only connection is that a group of journalist were invited to the press conference of the event, one of which was one of Edison film crews.

What historical source material do you have about this "streak of missing pets"? I can't find any evidence outside of unsourced clickbait.

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eivind2610 t1_j4bxhfo wrote

The more accurate claim would be that he paid 'youngsters' a quarter for "live cats and dogs", and didn't ask any questions in regards to where they came from. He may very well have intended for them to catch strays, but the youngsters probably only went "oooh, a quarter", and sold him any animals they could get their hands on. This is backed by several sources, including the "secretary of of historical research" at the Thomas A. Edison laboratory in West Orange, who had direct access to the research papers, and wrote a book that covered it. According to what I've been reading for the past while, I get the impression that this is stuff Edison and his team did, themselves - not this campaign I mentioned previously. So he might've been more involved than I thought!

As for the elephant: Yes, it's true that Edison hadn't been personally involved in this for a while when it happened. Which I have agreed with several times. Hence why I stated that he was only indirectly involved; having a film crew from his company dedicate the film of an animals execution to him personally is absolutely indirect involvement, whether or not he was in charge of the company at the time.

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HappyHighwayman t1_j47it5o wrote

I saw that bob's burgers episode, unfortunately it's factually incorrect (in regards to the elephant).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsy_(elephant)

0

eivind2610 t1_j482ptv wrote

Yes, after reading up on it over the last couple of hours, just for fun, I found out something similar. The elephant was apparently already scheduled for "execution", and the method of using electrocution to kill it was only decided after they received backlash for planning to hang it (somehow?). The event was, however, filmed by the Edison company, and the film was credited to Edison himself - which is still a pretty messed up thing to do! Either way, the Topsy song from Bob's Burgers is incredibly catchy :)

The part about pets is still factual, though; he actively backed and supported a campaign which paid kids a quarter for pets - be it their own or ones they'd stolen from their neighbourhoods - and then used them as a demonstration to 'prove' the dangers of AC power. In fact, they would first use DC power to torture the animals, only to then switch to AC power to kill them. Still barely scratches the surface of the messed up stuff he did, of course.

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Lost_vob t1_j491fsw wrote

He got all his animals from the SPCA, not local kids. They hired him to explore the idea of using electrocution as a humane form of euthanasia. Interesting enough he was later hired by the system of new york to research is this were true for the death penalty. It had nothing to do with the current wars.

I mean, it logically makes no sense. Why tf would he pay money for pets when he can get truckloads for strays who were running the street reeking havok for free? This is just a bogus story created to make him sound like a psychopath.

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Beavertoni t1_j4a1s20 wrote

How do you hang an elephant?

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eivind2610 t1_j4baj1n wrote

That is an excellent question, and I was wondering the same thing when I read it! The article didn't specify.

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Sahim63 t1_j478ste wrote

Im team Tesla

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Lost_vob t1_j491wtc wrote

>"The meeting with Edison was a memorable event in my life. I was amazed at this wonderful man who, without early advantages and scientific training, had accomplished so much." -excerpt from "My Inventions" By Nikola Tesla

Tesla was team Edison.

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Sahim63 t1_j4bj7p0 wrote

Tesla was team Edison until Tesla saw who Edison really was.

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Lost_vob t1_j4bkco5 wrote

This was written after that happened. But I guess the internet memes you read make you more of an Expert than Tesla.

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Sahim63 t1_j4de9ua wrote

Well, now I'm even more on Tesla's side. Seeing how Edison wronged Tesla and yet Tesla was generous enough to not bad-mouth him in his autobiography (which I'm yet to confirm, I'll give it a read) goes to show what kind of a man Tesla truly was. Yet Edison wronged him.

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Lost_vob t1_j4ej9hi wrote

That's just it, Edison didn't wrong Tesla. This is a complete fabrication. Those entire thing exists to be clickbait. Two things people love: underdog tails and esoteric knowledge we don't learn in school. This fictional account of events offers both, so it's very popular. But it's not true.

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Lost_vob t1_j490guz wrote

No, this is a popular internet myth, but there is no truth to it. You only evidence you'll find is clickbait bullshit.

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Lost_vob t1_j49l3ql wrote

  1. Browning did rent room from Edison at the menlow park complex, he even did those infamous electrocutions Edison is often blamed for, but he didn't invent the chair. A dentist (whose name escapes me, southwick maybe) invented it. He even had a backstory on where he got the idea. Edison was hiring by the state of New York as a consultant to see if the chair was more humane than hanging.

  2. They listed 4 different guys as who Edison "stole" camera from. You know what they call it when you take several previous inventions and use them for newer or better tech?Inventing. Science doesn't happen in a vacuum. Everything invented is based off someone's previous work. Sometimes where historians choose to draw the line and say "this guy was the original" is arbitrary. Did apple steal the iPhone because they didn't invent the phone, PDAs, and touch screens?

  3. This is true, and it also gives credit to Edison. This is exactly what I said in 2?

  4. Back to 2 again. This is splitting hairs. He too something that played sound and added functionality for recording and playing back. That's pretty substantial. They term "record" is extremely vague and referencing a family of technology. If that term is what's being debated, then yeah, the you're not going to get an accurate answer.

  5. So... he manufactured and sold a product? How is this a mark against him? Most people didn't have electricity in the home, so he needed batteries to sell most of his products.

  6. What? Where is the argument where? It's just a summary of Edison history with x-ray.

  7. Ngl, I have never heard of this attribution. From a fast search, I don't see Edison himself taking credit for it. I see Edison finding from new uses for it and other people giving him credit.

  8. Edison even took credit for DC. The whole "Edison made DC, Tesla made AC" thing is bogus. Neither made neither people made the currents before them, and their specific Inventions I'm this category are both technological dead ends. "The war of the Currents" wasn't between Edison and Tesla or even Edison and Westinghouse. It was between Pulitzer and Hearst. The "Which current is better and safer" debate was taking place in every lab and university and work shop around the globe. But not every lab and university and work shop was in reach of the circulation wars. The "war" was a sensational story, for the tech guys it was Business as usual.

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Prize_Huckleberry_79 t1_j4bu1pr wrote

The only sane and accurate comment in this entire thread. Most of these yo-yos here get their history from “10 inventions Edison stole from Tesla” bro-science bullshit videos.

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pixel-painter t1_j46qmcq wrote

Such as?

−20

lupuscapabilis t1_j47kwde wrote

Wait until you find out that Disney movies aren't made by Walt Disney

−3

HappyHighwayman t1_j47l7w5 wrote

He’s been dead since 1966 clearly he still makes all the movies.

What do you think people think 20th century fox movies are made by a fox?

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pixel-painter t1_j46ri9t wrote

Seems like a list of things that others falsely attributed solely to him, rather than him taking credit.

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HappyHighwayman t1_j46ryik wrote

Do a little research, he has a poor reputation today. People know he exaggerated stole and lied. If that's what motivates you, so be it.

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JockeyFullaBourbon t1_j46wyk7 wrote

His name on the patents put the lie to “other people falsely attributed them” to his greedy, theiving a$$…

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ChainmailleAddict t1_j46xlu6 wrote

Could you just admit you're wrong and move on instead of engaging in bad-faith BS that makes you look stupid? Guy was an idea stealer, that's not debatable.

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king_anon1492 t1_j47mhue wrote

It’s certainly not, but there is nuance there the general public struggles to understand. Edison definitely had a degree of acumen himself and was skilled at implementing projects, notably electrical lighting. Shame he couldn’t get past his own greed to work in good faith with tesla, who knew AC was superior to DC

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ChainmailleAddict t1_j480ks6 wrote

I really didn't expect that tbh. That makes him better than the modern one.

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Ryangel0 t1_j473xmz wrote

I'm sorry you had to find out your idol was a bad dude this way. Best to keep an open mind though, it's what Edison would have wanted.

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macmann69 t1_j469b34 wrote

Edison - not a good idol ….

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LazelimGiros t1_j46kh4o wrote

Edison of all people? Delete this please

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Lost_vob t1_j4927kj wrote

Tell me which of the fake internet myths you believe about Edison so I can quickly debunk them and then we can get back to enjoying this quote on its own merit.

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Moredateslessvapes t1_j481qdo wrote

You wouldn’t have a problem with the quote if his name wasn’t attached.

−9

blitzwann t1_j46gf84 wrote

Bruh... U srsly giving Edison's quotes as inspirational? This is some bottom of the barrel shit and there are sooooo many actually good role models

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SirHovaOfBrooklyn t1_j4774up wrote

It’s about the quote not the person. OP could just have very much excluded the name but the message would still have the same impact.

−7

maybeitsme20 t1_j47l4ze wrote

It is not the same impact.

It is about the person. Attaching a famous historical person to a quote is done to give it weight. If you throw a quote up not attributed to anyone it just won't resonate the same as if you can say it was said by Albert Einstein or Abraham Lincoln.

This quote in particular, if you had a high opinion of Edison and believed the myth that he was some genius inventor you would be inspired that he worked hard, didn't let his failures stop him, and he went on to revolutionize the world. More are learning he was really a corporation cheating and benefitting off the work of others.

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Lost_vob t1_j49315o wrote

There is no myth, he was a gifted inventor. People are "learning" nonsence from clickbait articles and 4chan memes. Tesla himself attested to it I'm his autobiography:

>"The meeting with Edison was a memorable event in my life. I was amazed at this wonderful man who, without early advantages and scientific training, had accomplished so much."

Was he perfect?! No! When you live for 70 years and spent most of that time in influence positions in society, of course you're going to have missteps, mistakes, and even some shady dealings. But whatever else Edison was, he certianly was a brilliant tinkerer.

If you're still not convinced, let me ask you this: if he never invented his own things, where did he get the money to buy out everyone else's Inventions? He didn't come from money. He was a telegraph technician ffs.

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zimorok t1_j494zsn wrote

Name one of his "invention". Eddison never have his own invention. All are "commision" and he took the credit, burying the original inventor in legal

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Lost_vob t1_j49mjfm wrote

And how did he afford all those commissions?

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zimorok t1_j49pwf5 wrote

The discussion is, what invention did Edison make?

Since u are simping for Edison, u know how he came to have the fund. Also, he "successfully invented" viable commercial light bulb, which is done by other engineer

>He didn't come from money. He was a telegraph technician ffs.

Didnt come from money, yet somehow he made 100s of business & partnership? Where did he get the "money" to start all that business? Only a telegraph Technician yet able to "successfully invented" something way beyond his own knowledge

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Lost_vob t1_j49riq2 wrote

Phonograph, ore processor, power meter, tattoo gun,

Edison's own light bulb patent starts with the word "improvement." He didn't claim to invent it, but make it better. History bestowed they upon him. This is often the case with inventors. Every invention is just an improvement or modification of something else. Historians have variation of the Ship of Theseus. Where is the line between new invention and a modification of a new invention. And it gets more complicated when you add in new use for old inventions! This is called the "Heroic theory of scientific development" and it real just exists to make history books less daunting for school children. It's a gross over simplification of how innovation works.

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zimorok t1_j49scdc wrote

When he file for "improvement", the "improvement" is 100% identical to what the other party made. So yes, stealing.

Just like how the current copyright law are being missused. The first to claim for "copyright" is "the owner" regardless if the original author file for "copyright" or not. Worse, if original author want to file for "copyright" but somebody else already files first, the orignal author got denied.

>Phonograph, ore processor, power meter, tattoo gun

So, "Telegraph Technician ffs" have the knowledge or "idea" to invent this? 🤣

1

SirHovaOfBrooklyn t1_j49g8k4 wrote

That’s just how you feel because you’re primed to automatically diminish everything that edison did. I am ambivalent so the quote is just a quote. We have a lot of motivational quotes with “anonymous” tagged on to it and it is still equally motivational. You’re just biased. It’s like saying Kevin Spacey’s movies were bad just because he’s a gay child molester.

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SeaWolf24 t1_j481r1t wrote

That’s because he stole and colluded with the highest bidder. One of the many men that help ruin the world. Edit: Basically admits in the quote that he did nothing. He just found a way…

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Nivekian13 t1_j46g2bl wrote

Get motivated to steal ideas from actual engineers and inventors.

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Padhome t1_j46mnu5 wrote

Which makes it even more ironic considering the person who bought out the Tesla brand..

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drGreenthumbsz t1_j46j0uq wrote

Please dont motivate reddit with this garbage human

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Theamazing-rando t1_j46edp8 wrote

This is a problematic quote from Edison for many reasons; the most pertinent would be his foray into X-rays. The man had no idea what he was doing, thought it sounded interesting to play with, and caused his assistant to die a horribly painful death through radiation exposure!

Before all the "Edison stole this or that patent", which may hold some truth, the dude not only had no formal education at all, but he still managed to patent over 1000 inventions! He was a legit inventor!

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Mysteroo t1_j46mq0h wrote

Eh, I think this quote is fine in that he isn't talking about X-rays. He's talking about light bulbs, right? It's not to give a license for recklessness, but to stave off discouragement with an optimistic perspective on seemingly fruitless work.

If asked about X-rays, I'd like to think he would agree that he failed when he got someone killed.

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Lost_vob t1_j493fqm wrote

These people always bring up Edison failings with x-ray as if Marie Curie didn't exist. Her notebooks are still a health hazard! They're kept in lead boxes! If Edison was a failure, then so was Nobel prize winner Marie Curie.

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kingtitusmedethe4th t1_j4dmapk wrote

Many inventors went back and invented some of the things he "prooved would not work"

The quote is as bad as the dudes morality.

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Lost_vob t1_j48z35p wrote

Edison when blind himself from x-rays. He also paid the widow her husbands salary for the rest of his life. Was Marie Curie problematic? She did the same stuff st the same time

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Icefyre24 t1_j47f71c wrote

Rewritten to:

"I have not failed 700 times, (my assistants did). I have not failed once, (to steal instead of invent). I, (and my overpaid, leg-breaking thugs), have succeeded in proving that those 700 ways (of doing the legitimate, hard work of actual inventing), will not work. When I have eliminated the ways (of allowing fair competition that doesn't involve threats or bullying), that will not work , I will find the way ( to bribe, coerce, threaten, or outright vandalize property and destroy other legitimate inventors lives), that will work."

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Jeff_Spicoli420 t1_j46k4jr wrote

This man electrocuted an elephant to make his competition look bad.

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pixel-painter t1_j46qee7 wrote

No he didn’t. Stop spreading this bullshit. The elephants owners electrocuted it after receiving backlash after they were going to hang it. There is a false tale that Edison did this to display the “dangers alternating current”. But Topsy the elephant was electrocuted 10 years after the War of the Currents. Edison wasn’t even present.

https://edison.rutgers.edu/life-of-edison/essaying-edison/essay/myth-buster-topsy-the-elephant

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Elipses_ t1_j46w1z6 wrote

Honestly, the Elephant thing always struck me as odd, considering that Edison DID invent the electric chair. One would think that killing humans with AC to scare people would be more horrifying than supposedly killing an elephant to do so.

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Lost_vob t1_j48zhbn wrote

He didn't invent the electric chair either. He was hired by the State of New York to research if the electric chair was a more humane alternative to hanging. Some dentist guy invented it.

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Elipses_ t1_j49aj9k wrote

Damn! Bamboozled by Edison again!

Edit: some quick and dirty research brings up that it was indeed a Dentisr guy who invented the chair. Edison did apparently quietly finance its creation though, on the condition it used AC.

Also found out the Dentist was from Buffalo, the city I live in the area of. This is... odd to think about.

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Lost_vob t1_j49myo7 wrote

Well, it had to use AC. No one is worried about their toddlers shoving forks in battery ports, but wall sockets are a different story entirely.

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bremidon t1_j47jnwp wrote

Why am I not surprised that this is bullshit.

On the one hand, I think it's great that Tesla gets a lot of props these days. But I think it's absolutely tragic that so many people feel like they have to pull someone else down.

Yeah, they didn't get along and Edison kinda screwed Tesla. That was sort of par for the course in business back then (and today, if we are being honest).

But no, it's never enough to point out somewhere that Edison was wrong. Now he has to be the devil from Jersey.

- from someone who once completely bought into the whole Edison is Evil goof

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Elipses_ t1_j49crgs wrote

Interestingly enough, that article does provide an Edison connection, but only an indirect one. The company that filmed the electrocution was Edison's film company, and supposedly the elephants owners were inspired to use electrocution by the animal electrocution that Edison did arrange, years earlier.

It's an interesting article, while still short. I recommend anyone interested give it a read.

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Lost_vob t1_j48z9kl wrote

It's a completely myth. Edison had nothing to do with Topsy's death. All he did was own a recording of it. A recording he didn't personally film.

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DAMAN2U1 t1_j46p9jb wrote

I forgot about that.......Its really not hard to hate this asshole.......

−2

Lost_vob t1_j493jp7 wrote

Why do people find such an outlandish myth so easy to believe?

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bremidon t1_j47jtft wrote

All you have to do is not actually know history. Hey, would you look at that? Hate *is* easy!

0

ascensioni t1_j47z591 wrote

“I didn’t fail 700 times. I found someone else who had and stole HIS work!”

-Thomas Edison

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Jewjltsu t1_j47x9w3 wrote

Coming from the guy who ruined Tesla even though he had the better tech. He can go suck a bulb

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Lost_vob t1_j48zrti wrote

He didn't ruin Tesla, this is a modern internet myth with zero basis in reality. Tesla tech wasn't better, it was average for a man in his field at the time.

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i-cant-debate-says-u t1_j46th7z wrote

I have a motto, every mistake in life is not a mistake.... unless you decide not to learn from it. But if yoi do learn from it, its a lesson. Which of those is it, is up to you

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jackduloz t1_j46y43y wrote

In his case, the way that worked was often stealing someone else’s work and taking credit for it.

Edison does not motivate me

1

litlplant t1_j471lxm wrote

Great quote, terrible guy.

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orion3999 t1_j475oix wrote

Failure is not a bad thing as long as you have learned from it!

1

Ishidan01 t1_j47gu03 wrote

the joys of being self employed.

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ResettisReplicas t1_j47vg87 wrote

“Turns out stealing was the way. Those 699 honest attempts were a real pain in my ass.”

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eatingganesha t1_j47zcwr wrote

That’s easy to say when you steal other peoples work.

1

THAbstract t1_j49bqh5 wrote

Edison is a shitstain in history. A scummy guy who stole ideas and stole and executed animals. Fuck Thomas Edison.

1

Hannover2k t1_j49yg46 wrote

And then I just stole someone else's work and called it my own! But catchy saying, huh?

1

Shit_Pistol t1_j4ax1ga wrote

Take credit for the work of others. Classic “great men of history” tactic.

1

Prize_Huckleberry_79 t1_j4btk23 wrote

I fucking love Edison. I don’t care what anyone says. He invented modern inventing. People who think he “stole”: He created a assassin’s team to work out solutions to problems, and churned out amazing things, including the fuckin lightbulb. That’s not stealing, that’s literally how all ideas are developed in the modern era. I highly suggest that Edison haters do a little more research than watching bro-science youtube vids.

1

ChannonFenris t1_j4epfvd wrote

Tesla: hey man you owe me money for the work I did you, you said you'd pay me a lot if I pulled through.

Edison: "You don't understand American humor."

1

Lanayru22 t1_j4hq8au wrote

What a stupid fucking quote.

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lastlifonti t1_j4jele8 wrote

This guy stole other people’s ideas…

1

Ironamsfeld t1_j472et7 wrote

Imagine saying this to your boss lol

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luv-it t1_j47hwii wrote

Biggest con man in history

0

phfan t1_j48eeur wrote

He was quoted as saying that while searching for a way to land a spaceship on the sun. Apparently going at night was attempt #700.

0

Gamebird8 t1_j49aftp wrote

It's funny because Edison never said that.

​

The anecdote from an associate in his biography isn't even the same

0

expsg18 t1_j49hink wrote

Spoken like a true management consultant

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Make_It_Plain t1_j49iwo3 wrote

You sir were very mean and nasty to Tesla, forget your quote!

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Lost_vob t1_j4blrxy wrote

No he wasn't. Tesla is not record calling him "a wonderful man." Do you think you're smarter than Tesla?

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Mohmonk3y t1_j49kxjo wrote

Pfft yeeeaa by stealing it

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Grigoran t1_j49ovzd wrote

Literally, Thomas Edison can suck a fuck. OP doesn't seem to know enough about Thomas Edison

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Lost_vob t1_j4bloap wrote

That's not talk coming from someone whose not knowledge of Edison comes from internet memes and clickbait that are mostly flat out lies.

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tuscabam t1_j49pndz wrote

Edison was an unoriginal hack that stole every idea.

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Drifter747 t1_j49r3fi wrote

This quote is actually not even by Edison but often attributed to him.

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2KilAMoknbrd t1_j49s12v wrote

Knock it off Tom, you mountebank

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Diablix t1_j49tiiv wrote

"If you steal a Tesla, does that make it an Edison?"

-Everyone who learns the history of "Edison's" inventions

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Lost_vob t1_j4blg98 wrote

Name one invention of Teslas that Edison stole according to this "history" you "learned"

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TheCoolNoob t1_j4a2rqm wrote

This would be a great quote if it wasn't coming from a thief.

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lincruste t1_j4ag6n4 wrote

"Fuck Edison."

N. Tesla

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zenstain t1_j4aiasd wrote

He will find the way that will work. Meaning, he'd continue to steal others' ideas until finding one that would work. Not a good choice for a motivational sub.

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ax_colleen t1_j4anypo wrote

Guys, the one who made the Edison ruined Tesla story is theoatmeal, Matthew Inman. He made the comics. https://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla

And made a crowdfunding campaign for Tesla as well.

I found this website that might be legitimate about Tesla and Edison.

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Lost_vob t1_j4bl9dd wrote

And the comic has been the Bain of existence for science historians ever sense.

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ax_colleen t1_j4dg50e wrote

I'm not supporting Matthew Inman, I'm only sharing information.

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PlutoPatata t1_j4asoyz wrote

Somebody tell OP reddit dont like tomas edition

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Prize_Huckleberry_79 t1_j4bun00 wrote

People in this thread: *gets high, watches 3 or 4 “10 things Edison stole” vids and “Tesla invented a death beam teleportation wormhole device” vids…

people in this thread: “Fuck Edison!”

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AhnYoSub t1_j4c2kf4 wrote

Which still doesn’t change the fact that a man who electrocuted an animal as a PR stunt is an asshole.

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doingthehumptydance t1_j46ponf wrote

And then I will kill an innocent elephant while trying to discredit Tesla, plus steal a lot of other ideas.

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xVyKariousx t1_j46uyfl wrote

We get it. Edison is a dirt bag. Doesn’t change that this is a great quote.

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Vavivov t1_j46ytk2 wrote

Neah.

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Boston_Pops t1_j473wd4 wrote

Obligatory "Tesla was better."

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durgadas t1_j4795is wrote

"699 other people's failures don't count as mine."

- Also Edison, probably

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pichufur t1_j47f4ll wrote

Bet he stole the quote too...

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JGCities t1_j47fbyi wrote

Me hitting on girls....

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Waffleline t1_j47lpua wrote

"Also electrocute elephants, that works too"

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j476j4u wrote

He was a thief, and a corrupt business man. Tesla >>

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Lost_vob t1_j4900j6 wrote

Well Tesla said he was "a wonderful man" (direct quote from Tesla autobiography). So I think he would disagree.

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4aivsn wrote

He worked for him, and upon meeting him thought he was amazing. Edison invited him to America afterall...but it was years after in the service where Edison's exploitation became apparent.

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Lost_vob t1_j4albaf wrote

His autobiography came out nearly 25 years after he left Edison employ. What's more likely,: thar tesla was too stupid to know he was getting played after decades, or that he wasn't getting played?

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4am08a wrote

He left Edison before that, he knew he was being played after frequently being unpaid. Not only that but Edison's company didn't have very good working conditions. In his diary, he logged his leaving of the company. He had new ideas at the time he wanted to experiment with. Are you suggesting he left randomly and only realized later in life? 😂

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Lost_vob t1_j4amynw wrote

He left because he had a falling out with a manager over the matter of $50k bet. Edison wasn't actively involved in the company at this time, he was still mourning the loss of his first wife from over a year prior. Charles Bachelor, the man to brought Tesla to America in the first place, was running things.

I'm not sure what diary you were reading this from, can you point me in the direction of it?

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4anmps wrote

Ik it wasn't Edison directly, but Edison was still his employer. The diary was Tesla's. Bachelor was the manager at the time, under Edison. Again what were you suggesting with the "he didn't realize until 25 years later" remark? Unless you assumed I believed it was a falling out with Edison directly; I knew it wasn't already, but American business was still exploitative of inventors such as Tesla, in favour of profits.

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Lost_vob t1_j4ao9u6 wrote

American businesses? Buddy, this Amero-centric worldview is part of your problem here. The idea that things like current "wars" and exploitive business practices bring things Tesla wasn't use to is bullshit. This was the era that the Congo Free State existed in ffs!

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4artww wrote

It isn't America- centric. Westinghouse vs Edison was a dispute between businesses, in a laissez-faire economy, in the US. I'm not saying Tesla wasn't used to it, I'm saying he was against it. As many were. People weren't docile to this, nor were they internationally.

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4aj2d9 wrote

There are numerous occasions where Tesla also criticizes Edison's work approach. And the whole Current War, Tesla was very much against Edison's vision of the future (it was highly inefficient)

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Lost_vob t1_j4alubn wrote

No, there is one time where Tesla wrote an editorial about how he didn't like Edison's empirical methods. That isn't an indictment of the man in any way.

There was no war of the currents. The real war was between Pulitzer and Hearst trying to make the most sensational headlines they could. The truth is scientists were debating the pros and cons of the 2 currents across the globe. It wasn't a uniquely American debate. If there was anyone you can call a rival to Edison, I'd be Westinghouse. Westinghouse was working right AC years before Tesla.

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4amduy wrote

I'm aware, and Tesla's inventions were orientated around the use of AC, not DC. He sided with Westinghouse. And it was a war in that Westinghouse and Edison had very different views of the future, as was the case in terms of power stations. However, Tesla was a rival in that he wasn't a business man caring for profits. He cared for the generation of free electricity. J.P Morgan would deny investing in his ideas, yet did with Edison's inefficient methods, due to the desire for profit.

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Lost_vob t1_j4anwwd wrote

JP Morgan spent more time and money on Tesla and his wardenclyff tower than he even did on Edison. In fact, Morgan is the reason the "war" ended. Tired of Edison's moral grandstanding about public health, the plotted a murger with another electric company he owned. They ousted Edison and immediately got up to speed on AC technology. That company is still around, GE.

Tesla didn't want cost free energy, he wanted wire free energy. He still intended to charge for it. By the time he was done selling his parents to Westinghouse, he was a multimillionaire (adjusted for inflation). But after 20 of research and no progress (not greed, progress was the issue), JP Morgan and JJ Ashor stopped finding him, so he used his own money.

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Tesla-Punk3327 t1_j4arcc2 wrote

He did want cost-free electricity; it was Morgan who asked for a meter in order to continue funding Tesla. It was most likely due to this, the funding ceased around Wardenclyffe, combined with the fact that Morgan expected it to be similar to Marconi's ideas, when it actually was about transmitting the wireless energy. Westinghouse eventually signed off Tesla's patents to Morgan, meaning Tesla made nothing from his inventions, and in so doing Morgan had a monopoly. The Tower worked, and was seen used by nearby residents, but at that point Morgan had preferred Marconi's ideas. Then Tesla was abandoned by him, because it would have been unlimited, post-scarce, and therefore free, in Morgan's eyes a useless invention, in breach of contract too. The plans started in 1901, and any funding ceased by 1906, probably after the money was given to Tesla. Marconi had succeeded by 1901. It was after 1906 that Tesla used his own funds, not after "20 years" of funding. By 1901, prices also increased, and gaining the materials for construction, with inflation, was not within the first grant, with Morgan having a 51% interest on it.

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