The Harrowing Race To Create The Electric Chair | The Chair

In 1880 two men, Edison and Westinghouse, were battling to provide electricity for America. Edison’s system was low-voltage and dependable, Westinghouse’s was unpredictable and potentially deadly. Edison volunteered his rival’s Alternating Current system to power the first ever electric chair, ensuring Westinghouse would both foot the bill and field the negative publicity. Regrettably, the current’s voltage had been overrated and the convict’s death was not instantaneous.