# Edison vs. Tesla | Prometheus’ Fire | 1

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-history-tellers-468082/edison-vs-tesla-prometheus-fire-1
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-history-tellers-468082/edison-vs-tesla-prometheus-fire-1.md
Podcast: [American History Tellers](https://stenobird.com/podcast/american-history-tellers-468082)
Published: 2026-05-06T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/4/rss.art19.com/episodes/7d97f101-85e6-46c1-8588-f842e87ecae3.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/4/rss.art19.com/episodes/7d97f101-85e6-46c1-8588-f842e87ecae3.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/american-history-tellers-468082/episodes/edison-vs-tesla-prometheus-fire-1
Duration seconds: 2417

## Resource

In the 1870s, the age of artificial light was still in its infancy. Gas lamps cast a dim glow on city streets, and early arc lights were just beginning to appear in a handful of public spaces. But reliable, practical light for homes and businesses remained out of reach for most people. Then, in 1878, America’s most famous inventor, Thomas Edison, witnessed a demonstration of a novel electric generator and had a spark of inspiration.  Edison was convinced that he would be the one to harness electricity to illuminate the world. He set his sights on an audacious goal: not just to improve the light bulb, but to build a system capable of lighting an entire city. It was a vision that would demand years of relentless experimentation and push him to the brink of failure. And just as his system flickered to life, a new rival would emerge — one with a radically different vision of electricity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

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## Transcript

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