Nikola Tesla and the War of the Currents

In the 1880s, the cities of the Gilded Age were just beginning to glow with electric light, powered by Thomas Edison’s Direct Current, or DC. But this new magic had a serious limitation. DC power could only be transmitted about 1.6 kilometers before the energy was lost as heat. This was a physical barrier that Edison could not overcome. To keep the lights on, his company had to build a power station every few blocks, with immensely thick and expensive copper wires running beneath the streets. DC flowed steadily in one direction, and its voltage couldn't be changed easily. This meant it was perfect for lighting up a single neighborhood, but completely impractical for powering an entire nation. The world needed a better system.