The Dehumanising Race For The First Electric Chair | The Chair | Timeline Classics

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. Timeline Classics is a curated home for the very best of Timeline’s extensive catalog of history documentaries. From legendary multi-part series featuring world-famous historians to our personally picked hidden gems, every week we’ll be selecting some of our favorite documentaries for you to discover - all in one place. Timeline Classics is in partnership with the History Hit network.