By Aastha Shreeharsh There are many colorful characters, discoveries, and inventions in the annals of scientific history; yet, not much has sparked as much debate and controversy as the infamous rivalry between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. Ranging from episodes in the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory, the witty illustrations in the comic The Oatmeal, and YouTube videos from channels such as “Epic Rap Battles of History”, the Tesla vs. Edison narrative has become a persistent fixture in popular culture. As reflected in such media, Tesla is hailed by many as the unrecognized genius of the duo, the protégé that surpassed his mentor, Edison. Meanwhile, Edison, who was once hailed by his contemporaries, the media and even our history textbooks as one of the greatest inventors of all time, is now considered a hack by many. Unfortunately for avid Tesla fans (and fortunately for fans of Edison), reality seems to be more nuanced than this trumped-up rivalry. In 1884, the Serbian physicist Nikola Tesla, aged 28, arrived in New York City and took up employment with Edison [1]. Nine years his elder, Edison had already established himself as a success with his invention of a new kind of telegraph, and established the Edison Illuminating Company which furthered his own work in electric light. Tesla, in his recently acquired position, assisted Edison in installing equipment, repairing generators, and designing new machines. Edison’s work relied on the principles of direct current (d.c.), which was the national standard at that time, and Edison was profiting off many patents (Footnote 1) for his electric lighting system that utilized d.c. [1, 2]. However, Tesla saw promise in utilizing alternating current (a.c.), so a year later, he quitted working for Edison and set up his own electric company – one that utilized a.c. – thus setting the scene for the Tesla vs. Edison narrative. Current is the flow of “electricity,” or more accurately, the flow of charged particles like electrons and positive ions. As the name suggests, d.c. flows in one direction while a.c. alternates its direction back and forth in a single second. So, why did Edison and Tesla prefer using different systems of current? Nikola Tesla VS. Thomas Edison 特斯拉大戰愛迪生 Not-So-Epic Battles of History: 不存在的宿敵對決：
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