and
Happy Birthday, George Westinghouse (a German-American inventor and
engineer)
On
this date in 1683, thirteen German families landed in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, in the American colonies. They soon founded a town
called Germantown. This day commemorates the addition of German
culture and foods to the American “melting pot.” Of course, this
fits in perfectly with Oktoberfest celebrations that are held in
Germany and all over the world during this time of year.
To
celebrate, grab your wurstl (sausage) and sauerkraut, pile
your plate high with kasspatzn (mmm, my favorite cheese
noodles) and potato pancakes, and be sure to have a giant pretzel!
George
Westinghouse, born on this day
in 1846 in New York, invented the railway air brake and pioneered the
American electrical system in a rivalry with Thomas Edison. Although
Edison is even more famous than Westinghouse, it was Westinghouse's
alternating-current system, based on research by Nikola Tesla, that
prevailed (won out) over Edison's direct- current system.
The
main reason that power plants use alternating current is because it
is much easier to change the voltage of the power using a
transformer. Power plants can save a lot of money and energy by
sending power long distances at high voltages, and then drop it down
to lower voltages for distribution and household use. If you want to
know more, check out the explanations at How Stuff Works. If you want
to read about the “Current War” and how Westinghouse benefitted
from a quarrel between Tesla and Edison, check out this article.
Of
course, one reason I chose to highlight Westinghouse is because he
comes from the Westringhausen family in Germany. That means that he
was a German-American!
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