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Authors: Nigel Cawthorne
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ft (80 m) high that could carry over 2,000 people. It revolved on the largest one-piece axle ever forged. But it was Westinghouseâs illuminations that took the breath away. Former governor of Illinois, Will E. Cameron said:
Inadequate words have been found to convey a realizing idea of the beauty and grandeur of the spectacle which the Exposition offers by day, they are infinitely less capable of affording the slightest conception of the dazzling spectacle which greets the eye of the visitor at night ⦠Indescribable by language are the electric fountains. One of them, called âThe Great Geyserâ, rises to a height to 150 ft [45 m], above a band of âLittle Geysersâ ⦠so bewildering no eyes can find the loveliest, their vagaries of motion so entrancing no heart can keep its steady beating.
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Visiting the Electricity Pavilion
At the Chicago Worldâs Fair, the Electricity Pavilion rose to 169 ft (52 m) and covered 3.5 acres (1.4 Hectares) â the size of two soccer fields. In it, AEG exhibited the equipment they had used to transmit AC the record-breaking 109 miles (175 km) from Lauffen to Frankfurt in Germany. GE also demonstrated their new AC system. Both were technically infringing Teslaâs patents, but Westinghouse made no objection as it helped demonstrate the superiority of AC. Instead, they erected a 45-ft (14 m) high monument to the âWestinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. Tesla Polyphase Systemâ.
Not to be outshone, GE erected a 82-ft (25 m ) Tower of Light in the centre of the Electricity Pavilion, with 18,000 bulbs around the pedestal, which was topped by a huge Edison light bulb.
Other stands showed electric body invigorators, charged belts and electricity hairbrushes. It was then thought that electricity could cure all ills. Elihu Thomson exhibited a high-frequency coil that could produce a spark 5 ft (1.5 m) long. Alexander Graham Bell launched a telephone that transmitted sound on a beam of light, while Elisha Gray (1835 â 1901) unveiled a prototype fax machine called the teleautography â for a few cents, you could have your signature reproduced electronically at a distance. Edison himself exhibited his phonograph, the multiplex telegraph and his kinetescope, which produced moving pictures for an individual viewer.
On the Westinghouse stand, Tesla exhibited AC motors and generators, and had the names of famous electrical pioneers â Franklin, Helmholtz, Faraday, Maxwell and Henry â all spelt out in phosphorescent tubes, along with that of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj (his old friend, the Serbian poet). Huge flashing neon signs saying Westinghouse and Welcome Electricians were lit by discharges of artificial lightning that made a deafening sound. Among the flashing sparks and the tubes, lit wirelessly, was a large Egg of Columbus spinning furiously.
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The Wizard of Physics
Tesla visited the Worldâs Fair in August to put on a week of demonstrations and to attend the International Electrical Congress being held there. Its honorary chairman was Helmholtz, who Tesla showed his personal exhibit. A thousand electrical engineers attended, including most of the leaders in the field. Ten dollars were offered for seats to see Tesla, who was introduced as the âWizard of Physicsâ. However, entrance was limited to those who could produce the appropriate credentials.
Tesla demonstrated mechanical oscillators and steam generators that were so small it was said they could fit in the crown of a hat. He produced motors that could run so precisely they could be used as electric clocks and a continuous-wave radio transmitter, the implications of which were lost on most of his distinguished audience. He also exhibited a version of his Egg of Columbus which demonstrated his theory of planetary motion. The Electrical Experimenter said:
In this experiment one large, and several small brass balls were usually employed. When the field was
Inadequate words have been found to convey a realizing idea of the beauty and grandeur of the spectacle which the Exposition offers by day, they are infinitely less capable of affording the slightest conception of the dazzling spectacle which greets the eye of the visitor at night ⦠Indescribable by language are the electric fountains. One of them, called âThe Great Geyserâ, rises to a height to 150 ft [45 m], above a band of âLittle Geysersâ ⦠so bewildering no eyes can find the loveliest, their vagaries of motion so entrancing no heart can keep its steady beating.
Â
Visiting the Electricity Pavilion
At the Chicago Worldâs Fair, the Electricity Pavilion rose to 169 ft (52 m) and covered 3.5 acres (1.4 Hectares) â the size of two soccer fields. In it, AEG exhibited the equipment they had used to transmit AC the record-breaking 109 miles (175 km) from Lauffen to Frankfurt in Germany. GE also demonstrated their new AC system. Both were technically infringing Teslaâs patents, but Westinghouse made no objection as it helped demonstrate the superiority of AC. Instead, they erected a 45-ft (14 m) high monument to the âWestinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. Tesla Polyphase Systemâ.
Not to be outshone, GE erected a 82-ft (25 m ) Tower of Light in the centre of the Electricity Pavilion, with 18,000 bulbs around the pedestal, which was topped by a huge Edison light bulb.
Other stands showed electric body invigorators, charged belts and electricity hairbrushes. It was then thought that electricity could cure all ills. Elihu Thomson exhibited a high-frequency coil that could produce a spark 5 ft (1.5 m) long. Alexander Graham Bell launched a telephone that transmitted sound on a beam of light, while Elisha Gray (1835 â 1901) unveiled a prototype fax machine called the teleautography â for a few cents, you could have your signature reproduced electronically at a distance. Edison himself exhibited his phonograph, the multiplex telegraph and his kinetescope, which produced moving pictures for an individual viewer.
On the Westinghouse stand, Tesla exhibited AC motors and generators, and had the names of famous electrical pioneers â Franklin, Helmholtz, Faraday, Maxwell and Henry â all spelt out in phosphorescent tubes, along with that of Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj (his old friend, the Serbian poet). Huge flashing neon signs saying Westinghouse and Welcome Electricians were lit by discharges of artificial lightning that made a deafening sound. Among the flashing sparks and the tubes, lit wirelessly, was a large Egg of Columbus spinning furiously.
Â
The Wizard of Physics
Tesla visited the Worldâs Fair in August to put on a week of demonstrations and to attend the International Electrical Congress being held there. Its honorary chairman was Helmholtz, who Tesla showed his personal exhibit. A thousand electrical engineers attended, including most of the leaders in the field. Ten dollars were offered for seats to see Tesla, who was introduced as the âWizard of Physicsâ. However, entrance was limited to those who could produce the appropriate credentials.
Tesla demonstrated mechanical oscillators and steam generators that were so small it was said they could fit in the crown of a hat. He produced motors that could run so precisely they could be used as electric clocks and a continuous-wave radio transmitter, the implications of which were lost on most of his distinguished audience. He also exhibited a version of his Egg of Columbus which demonstrated his theory of planetary motion. The Electrical Experimenter said:
In this experiment one large, and several small brass balls were usually employed. When the field was
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