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Jill Jonnes: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Jill Jonnes, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Edison staged animal electrocutions to convince the world his rival's current was deadly

  In the late 1880s, Thomas Edison's direct-current grid faced a challenger: George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla's alternating current, which could travel much further before losing…

  — Jill Jonnes, Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World

• The Eiffel Tower was built to be torn down after 20 years — a radio antenna saved it

  Constructed for the 1889 World's Fair under a 20-year permit, the Eiffel Tower was slated for demolition once that permit expired in 1909. Gustave Eiffel had installed an antenna o…

  — Jill Jonnes, Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count

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