The Electric Wire Panic - Edison and the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death - Mark Essig

The Electric Wire Panic - Thomas Edison stunned America in 1879 by unveiling a world-changing invention-the light bulb-and then launching the electrification of Americas cities. Edison championed the electric chair for reasons that remain controversial to this day. Plumbing the fascinating history of electricity, Mark Essig explores Americas love of technology and its fascination with violent death, capturing an era when the public was mesmerized and terrified by an invisible force that produced blazing light, powered streetcars, carried telephone conversations-and killed.