Why was George Westinghouse important?
Innovators | George Westinghouse, Jr. Westinghouse designed the first illuminated tennis court, lit by 1,500 bulbs. A tireless inventor and businessman, Westinghouse designed an air brake that made rail travel safer, and his promotion of an alternating current system revolutionized the power industry.
What did George Westinghouse invent and how did it impact railroad travel?
The first air brake invented by George Westinghouse revolutionized the railroad industry, making braking a safer venture and thus permitting trains to travel at higher speeds. Westinghouse made many alterations to improve his invention leading to various forms of the automatic brake.
How did George Westinghouse achieve success?
More than any other man, George Westinghouse was responsible for the introduction and development of alternating current for light and power. With the desire to turn ideas into enterprises, he founded Westinghouse Electric and 59 other companies, eventually receiving more than 360 patents for his work.
How did George Westinghouse improve electricity?
Westinghouse saw the potential of using alternating current for electric power distribution in the early 1880s and put all his resources into developing and marketing it. This put Westinghouse's business in direct competition with Thomas Edison, who marketed direct current for electric power distribution.
What did George Westinghouse create?
Railway air brakeGeorge Westinghouse / InventionsJust after the Civil War, he invented the air-brake system, a quantum leap in railroad safety. Thirty years later, he was responsible for the triumph of alternating current (AC) power, making electricity viable for domestic and industrial use. Westinghouse was born in Central Bridge, NY, in 1846.
How many things did George Westinghouse invent?
George Westinghouse was an inventor and engineer who held more than 300 patents over the course of his life.
Who is the only US president to invent and patent something?
He also remains to this day the only U.S. president to hold a patent in his name. Lincoln invented a “manner of buoying vessels” that was awarded U.S. patent number 6,469 on May 22, 1849 — 167 years ago this weekend.
How did George Westinghouse treat his workers?
George Westinghouse once spelled out a fairly simple rule of management. “If you treat your workers well,” he said, “if you treat your workers with respect, give them a nice place to work, with the best of tools, then your company will be successful.”
What did George Westinghouse do in the Civil War?
He served as a private in the cavalry for 2 years during the Civil War before being made Acting Third Assistant Engineer in the Navy in 1864.
What happened to Westinghouse after Niagara Falls?
The original Westinghouse generators remained in operation in the transformer house until the plant closed in 1961, having been replaced by the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant and the Lewiston Pump-Generating Plant.
Did Westinghouse take care of Tesla?
Almost immediately, George Westinghouse bought Tesla's patent rights to motors and transformers that used AC. Westinghouse offered Tesla a job in the Westinghouse laboratories as well as future royalties (a percentage of revenue or profits earned in the future) for the use of his ideas.
How many patents did George Westinghouse have?
Westinghouse's interest in railroads in general led to his first major invention, an air brake, which he patented in 1869 (eventually he received more than 100 patents); in the same year he organized the Westinghouse Air Brake Company.
Which inventions contributed to the world's changing transportation?
The invention of the railroad and the steam powered locomotive opened up a whole new world in transportation. Now trains could travel wherever tracks could be built. Transportation was no longer limited to rivers and canals.
What did George Westinghouse invented in 1868?
the railroad airbrakeGeorge Westinghouse, who would eventually hold more than 400 patents related to railroads and the development of electric power, invents the railroad airbrake and improves it in 1872.
Why did George Westinghouse invent the air brake?
The financial panic of 1907 caused Westinghouse to lose control of the companies he had founded. In 1910, he found his last major concern, the invention of a compressed air spring for taking the shock out of automobile riding. By 1911, he had severed all ties with his former companies.
When was the railway air brake invented?
Train crashes were frequent and deadly. On April 13, 1869, George Westinghouse received a patent for what has since been called, “the most important safety device ever known” – the air brake. With Westinghouse's remarkable air brake, an engineer could control all braking instantly from the train's cab.
The War of AC vs. DC Power Begins
In the 1880s, the electrical-power industry was in its infancy. Many devices were powered by direct current (DC), often from batteries, for light industry and office applications. Electrical lighting, based on the new Edison incandescent bulb, was gaining a foothold.
Westinghouse Improved on the Power of the Transformer
Natural gas used for lighting or heating is produced at high pressure, which allows transmission over long distances. At the point of use, the pressure tapers to safe levels using a reducing valve. In electrical current, voltage is analogous to pressure, and high-voltage AC power can be transmitted over long distances.
How Westinghouse Beat Edison at the Electricity Game
Edison, “The Wizard of Menlo Park,” considered electricity to be his bailiwick. Incensed when Westinghouse entered the fray, Edison famously exclaimed, “Tell him to stick to air brakes.”
Who invented hydroelectric power?
George Westinghouse is the one who built the 1st hydroelectric power that can be found in Niagara Falls in New York. With the excellent success of his inventions, he created and innovated other inventions that would play a vital role in the life of every American.
When were gas absorbers invented?
Gas Absorbers. In the year 1910 , George Westinghouse invented compressed gas absorbers that were creatively designed for cars. Before gas absorbers were invented, riding in a car was considered to be extremely rough since the early suspensions make use of coil springs or leaf.
Who invented the airbrake?
Thousands of people already shrank their prostate with this simple method. As many people traveled by train, George Westinghouse invented train airbrakes during a time no such thing existed. Majority of trains used locomotive brakes manually performed.
Who built the first hydroelectric power plant in Niagara Falls?
Hydroelectric Power in Niagara Falls. George Westinghouse is the one who built the 1st hydroelectric power that can be found in Niagara Falls in New York. With the excellent success of his inventions, he created and innovated other inventions that would play a vital role in the life of every American. Shares.
What was George Westinghouse's first idea for electricity?
As he became more interested in electricity, still a young technology at the time, George Westinghouse became convinced that the dominant form of electrical distribution, called direct current, or DC, was insufficient. Westinghouse had seen that various forms of alternating currents in both air compression and natural gas were more efficient, so he started looking for ways to apply this to electricity. The answer came in alternating current (AC) systems being developed in London. Westinghouse purchased the transformers used in London to manage alternating current and started trying to implement them in Pittsburgh. With the help of a few other American engineers, they made the first fully functional AC generator.
What was George Westinghouse's main inspiration?
Trains continued to provide constant inspiration for George Westinghouse. He continued to invent and innovate, using both his own ideas and purchasing patents of other engineers, and he produced more devices that redefined train travel. One big one was a system using both air compression and electricity to more efficiently operate the signals and switches in train yards. This, plus his entry into natural gas technology when a well was drilled in his house's yard, focused his attentions on energy, and specifically electricity.
What did Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse do?
Soon after, in 1895, Tesla and Westinghouse together built the world's first hydroelectric power plant on Niagara Falls. The significance of this is hard to overstate. Together, Westinghouse and Tesla had proven that electricity was practical, commercially profitable, and reliable, and they did so by overturning the world's assumptions about DC versus AC systems. When George Westinghouse passed away in 1914, Nikola Tesla called him a man 'to whom humanity owes an immense debt of gratitude '. He may just have been right.
What was the first commercial success of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company?
Westinghouse's fascination with trains and railroads inspired him to come up with what was to be his first major commercial success. This breakthrough came in the form of an air brake, a system of compressed air used to automatically slow down trains. At the time, all trains used manually-operated brakes, which could be unreliable and prone to both human and mechanical error. Westinghouse's air brakes were an automated mechanism that worked much more efficiently. In 1869, Westinghouse founded the Westinghouse Air Brake Company to manufacture and sell these brakes. They were immediately successful, and in fact changed people's ideas about train safety so much that Congress passed the Railroad Safety Appliance Act of 1893, requiring the use of air brakes on all American trains. In fact, to this day modern trains use an air brake system almost identical to Westinghouse's as a backup safety measure.
Who was George Westinghouse?
George Westinghouse was an American inventor of the 19th century . In this lesson, we'll examine his inventions and see what impact they had on American history.
Who invented the AC motor?
The big moment, however, came a few years later, when Westinghouse purchased the patents for an AC motor designed by Nikola Tesla. Tesla was one of the great minds of the 19th century, but not very successful in getting the public to receive his ideas. Westinghouse and Tesla turned out to be a perfect match. Tesla helped Westinghouse improve his AC generators, while Westinghouse provided the finance, business acumen, and know-how to challenge the dominance of direct current in American electricity. This was no easy task. DC systems were supported by American inventor Thomas Edison. They held powerful contracts, were supported by prominent politicians, and had real power. Westinghouse wasn't intimidated, and he started pushing AC systems. DC advocates pushed back, insisting that AC systems were too dangerous. To prove their point, they got the government of New York to start using AC generators to electrocute prisoners convicted of the death penalty. The result was disastrous, with the AC current failing to quickly terminate the convicted.
When did Nikola Tesla start Westinghouse Electric?
In 1886 he incorporated the Westinghouse Electric Company, which three years later was renamed the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. He purchased the patents of Nikola Tesla’s AC motor and hired Tesla to improve and modify the motor for use in his power system.
Who invented alternating current?
George Westinghouse, (born Oct. 6, 1846, Central Bridge, N.Y., U.S.—died March 12, 1914, New York City), American inventor and industrialist who was chiefly responsible for the adoption of alternating current for electric power transmission in the United States.
When was AC first used?
Although the electrical system being developed in the United States in the 1880s used direct current (DC), in Europe several alternating-current (AC) systems were being developed. One of the most successful, first demonstrated in 1881 in London, was devised by Lucien Gaulard of France and John Gibbs of England.
Who invented the AC generator?
Four years later, Westinghouse imported a set of Gaulard-Gibbs transformers and a Siemens AC generator and set up an electrical system in Pittsburgh. With the aid of three American electrical engineers, he altered and perfected the transformer and developed a constant-voltage AC generator.
When was the first steam engine invented?
After serving in both the U.S. Army and the navy in the Civil War, Westinghouse received his first patent in late 1865 for a rotary steam engine. Though the engine proved impractical, he later applied the same principle to develop a water meter. In that same year he invented a device for placing derailed freight cars back on their tracks.
What was the first invention of George Westinghouse?
Westinghouse was 19 years old when he created his first invention, the rotary steam engine. He also devised the Westinghouse Farm Engine. At age 21 he invented a "car replacer", a device to guide derailed railroad cars back onto the tracks, and a reversible frog, a device used with a railroad switch to guide trains onto one of two tracks.
What was the name of the company that Westinghouse invented?
Westinghouse pursued many improvements in railway signals (which then used oil lamps). In 1881 he founded the Union Switch and Signal Company to manufacture his signaling and switching inventions.
How many children did George Westinghouse have?
They were married for 47 years, and had one son, George Westinghouse III, who had six children. The couple made their first home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They later acquired houses in Lenox, Massachusetts, where they summered, and in Washington, District of Columbia.
What is the main article about the Westinghouse air brake?
Main article: Railway air brake § Westinghouse air brake. At about this time, he witnessed a train wreck where two engineers saw one another, but were unable to stop their trains in time using the existing brakes. Brakemen had to run from car to car, on catwalks atop the cars, applying the brakes manually on each car.
How many kilowatts did Westinghouse use?
In 1898 Westinghouse demonstrated a 300-kilowat t unit, replacing reciprocating engines in his air-brake factory. The next year he installed a 1.5-megawatt, 1,200 rpm unit for the Hartford Electric Light Company .
What was Thomas Edison's first electric system?
At the same time, Thomas Edison was launching the first DC electric utility designed to light homes and businesses with his patented incandescent bulb. In 1884, Westinghouse started developing his own DC domestic lighting system and hired physicist William Stanley to work on it. Westinghouse became aware of the new European alternating current systems in 1885 when he read about them in the UK technical journal Engineering. AC had the ability to be "stepped up" in voltage by a transformer for distribution and then "stepped down" by a transformer for consumer use, allowing large centralized power plants to supply electricity long distance in cities with more dispersed populations. This was an advantage over the low voltage DC systems being marketed by Thomas Edison 's electric utility which had a limited range due to the low voltages used. Westinghouse saw AC's potential to achieve greater economies of scale as way to build a truly competitive system instead of simply building another barely competitive DC lighting system using patents just different enough to get around the Edison patents.
Where was the Westinghouse plant located?
In 1891 Westinghouse built a hydroelectric AC power plant, the Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant near Ophir, Colorado. The plant supplied power to the Gold King Mine 3.5 miles away.
What is George Westinghouse's contribution to history?
Medieval & Renaissance History. Military History. The 20th Century. Women's History. View More. George Westinghouse was a prolific inventor who influenced the course of history by promoting the use of electricity for power and transportation. He enabled the growth of railroads through his inventions.
What was the first invention of Westinghouse?
He obtained a patent for one of his most important inventions, the air brake, in April 1869.
How did George Westinghouse expand the railroad industry?
Westinghouse then expanded into the railroad signaling industry in the United States by organizing the Union Switch and Signal Company. His industry grew as he opened companies in Europe and Canada. Devices based on his own inventions and the patents of others were designed to control the increased speed and flexibility which was made possible by the invention of the air brake. Westinghouse also developed an apparatus for the safe transmission of natural gas.
What did Westinghouse demonstrate?
Westinghouse convincingly demonstrated the general superiority of transmitting power with electricity rather than by mechanical means such as the use of ropes, hydraulic pipes, or compressed air, all of which had been proposed. He demonstrated the transmission superiority of alternating current over direct current.
What was the last major project that Westinghouse made?
He founded his last major project in 1910, the invention of a compressed air spring for taking the shock out of automobile riding. But by 1911, he had severed all ties with his former companies.
How much was Westinghouse worth in 1904?
Westinghouse’s Later Years. The various Westinghouse companies were worth about $120 million and employed approximately 50,000 workers at the turn of the century. By 1904, Westinghouse owned nine manufacturing companies in the U.S., one in Canada, and five in Europe.
How many patents did George Westinghouse have?
After deteriorating health and illness confined him to a wheelchair, he died on March 12, 1914, with a total of 361 patents to his credit. His last patent was received in 1918, four years after his death. Bellis, Mary. "George Westinghouse's Influence on Electricity.".
Who is George Westinghouse?
Advertisement. George Westinghouse was an inventor and engineer who held more than 300 patents over the course of his life. He both created new technologies and refined existing ones. He helped make Pittsburgh one of America's industrial centers.
What is the Westinghouse company?
The Westinghouse company name adorns products from TVs to light bulbs to nuclear power plants -- even a Brooklyn, N.Y. high school. The company also used to own television and radio stations. With such a broad reach, the Westinghouse name has become an important, if often unseen, part of the fabric of American life.
What was the first wide spread natural gas delivery system?
To solve the problem, Westinghouse invented a reduction valve that allowed natural gas to come out of its distribution pipes in low-pressure bursts. As a result, natural gas became safe enough for home use -- and Pittsburgh soon had the nation's first wide-spread natural gas delivery system.
What company was advertised on a postcard in 1941?
A postcard, circa 1941, advertising modern store displays for the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.
Where did George Westinghouse settle?
After his innovations in the railroad industry, Westinghouse settled in Philadelphia, where he had a natural gas well drilled on his property. The well allowed Westinghouse to work on his next great invention: a valve that allowed for the safe distribution of natural gas to homes.
Who invented the shock absorber?
Next time you doze off while riding in a car, thank George Westinghouse. In 1910, Westinghouse invented a compressed air shock absorber for cars. Before that time, riding in a car could be extremely rough. Most early automotive suspensions used leaf or coil springs.
Did George Westinghouse invent the shapeshifting robot?
No, George Westinghouse didn't invent shape-shifting robots from outer space. However, his work on the natural gas reduction valve convinced him that there had to be a way to distribute alternating current (AC) electricity in wide networks. Alternating current is known as such because the electrical charge can change direction. A direct current (DC) electrical charge doesn't change direction.
