George Westinghouse

Science / Inventors Datebook: October 6

American engineer, inventor, and pioneer of the electrical company.

George Westinghouse, Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American engineer and entrepreneur who invented the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry. He was also one of Thomas Alva Edison's rivals in the early implementation of the American electricity system. Westinghouse's system, which used alternating current based on the extensive research by Nikola Tesla, eventually prevailed over Edison's insistence on direct Current.

In 1911, Westinghouse received the AIEE's Edison Medal "For meritorious achievement in connection with the development of the alternating current system."


Westinghouse Early Years Profile

Born in Central Bridge, New York, he ran away from school to fight for the North in the American Civil War, then served for a short time in the US Navy. He returned in 1865 to work in his father's farm machinery workshop. It was also this time that he took out the first of his more than 400 patents, in particular, for a railway steam locomotive.

Westinghouse Important Inventions

His most important invention was the air-brake system he patented in 1869. This became known as "Westinghouse air brake" that greatly increased the speed of trains that could also travel safely.

Westinghouse also became a pioneer in the use of alternating current for electric power distribution. In 1886, he founded the Westinghouse Electrical Company, attracting Nicola Tesla to work with him. Nine year later, Westinghouse harnessed the power of the Niagara Falls to generate successfully enough electricity for the town of Buffalo.

[Image:  Westinghouse Steam and Air Brakes, USP144006]  

Resources:

• Garbedian, H Gordon. George Westinghouse: A fabulous Inventor. (1943).

• George Westinghouse.  IEEE Global History Network. IEEE. Accessed October 10, 2011.

• www.westinghousenuclear.com/Our_Company/history/george_westinghouse. Accessed October 10, 2011.

• web.mit.edu/invent/iow/westinghouse. Accessed October 5, 2012.

Image Credit:

George Westinghouse.  en.wikipedia.org / Public Domain
Westinghouse Steam and Air Brakes, USP144006


(c) 2012. Tel Asiado. Written for InspiredPenWeb.com.  All rights reserved.