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A Life of George Westinghouse
GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE the man may be overshadowed by his inventions, company, or legend. But in this biography by Henry G. Prout, Westinghouse's personal life and history are recounted along with his many inventions and enterprises -- and his inventions and enterprises were enormous. "He dealt in the same week, and often in the same day, with organization, financial and executive affairs, commercial affairs, and the engineering details of half a dozen companies in two hemispheres," Prout noted. "They were as far apart in kind as the air brake and natural gas, and as far apart in geography as San Francisco and St. Petersburg." This biography covers topics as diverse as power signaling and switching, Westinghouse's use of the alternating current, his activities at Niagara Falls, his European enterprises, his financial methods, and his overall impact on rail transportation and the power industry.
408 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
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March 25, 2016
Would that we could all live as George Westinghouse. Inventive engineer with restless, boundless curiosity, Westinghouse achieved through relentless pursuit of new ways to make things, powering the energy revolution that fueled the second phase of the Industrial Revolution.
Prout made a biography of the remarkable inventor just as Westinghouse had passed away in 1919, making this a fresh venture, published in 1922. Notable that it was the American Society of Mechanical Engineers intent to write biographies of essential inventors, with Westinghouse's being the first.
Engineer inventors made major contributions to building the American Industrial Revolution between the Civil War and World War One: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Roebling, Ford. It was an age of optimism and "positivists." A half-century of largely peace and great change made most of the American industrial giants believe that war was a relic of the past. Few saw the coming cataclysm of the Great War, a definite bookend to this period. 1916-1919 saw the rapid demise of old friends, rivals, and East Liberty neighbors Carnegie, Frick, Heinz, and Westinghouse.
Prout does a fine job on the rollicking business of invention. This is a business history worthy of consideration in the new age of invention. The careers of the giants of technology feature similar dynamics of rapid innovation and expansion across entirely new greenfield industries.
Prout made a biography of the remarkable inventor just as Westinghouse had passed away in 1919, making this a fresh venture, published in 1922. Notable that it was the American Society of Mechanical Engineers intent to write biographies of essential inventors, with Westinghouse's being the first.
Engineer inventors made major contributions to building the American Industrial Revolution between the Civil War and World War One: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, Roebling, Ford. It was an age of optimism and "positivists." A half-century of largely peace and great change made most of the American industrial giants believe that war was a relic of the past. Few saw the coming cataclysm of the Great War, a definite bookend to this period. 1916-1919 saw the rapid demise of old friends, rivals, and East Liberty neighbors Carnegie, Frick, Heinz, and Westinghouse.
Prout does a fine job on the rollicking business of invention. This is a business history worthy of consideration in the new age of invention. The careers of the giants of technology feature similar dynamics of rapid innovation and expansion across entirely new greenfield industries.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review