37. Paying Edison Back
Direct current (DC) is crappy when compared to alternating current (AC), because DC is weaker and can only be transported short distances. However, Thomas Edison had already invested millions in DC, and he was not about to let the upstart AC flush that investment down the drain if he could help it.
Unfortunately for Edison, the former employee whom he had screwed over and in whose face he had laughed, ended up playing a key role in flushing that DC investment away. Nikola Tesla, working for AC advocate George Westinghouse, basically designed the modern AC electricity supply system that ensured its easy delivery and use. In so doing, Tesla ensured the defeat of Thomas Edison and his DC plan in what came to be known as “The War of the Currents“.