Today, in any case, people introspect and consider this event as an absolutely deplorable and unforgivable moment that went down the chronicles as an extreme act of heinous crime and outrage against animal well-being. Edison sent Professor Harold Brown on a tour to demonstrate the dangers of AC by electrocuting dogs, cats, horses, cows, and even an orangutan on stage. As the electrocution of an elephant was hitherto unknown, Topsys executioners made sure to complete the act successfully through a technique that combined all; electrocution, poisoning and strangulation. Once Luna Park officials had decided that electrocution would be used on Topsy, they required the cooperation of the local electric power company the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Brooklyn, which under the supervision of electrician P. D. Sharkey provided technical assistance and 6,600 volts of power relayed from new General Electric AC generators in nearby Bay Ridge. Available at: https://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%209/New%20York%20NY%20Sun/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201903%20Jan-Dec%20Grayscale/New%20York%20NY%20Sun%201903%20Jan-Dec%20Grayscale%20-%200077.pdf, Rutgers. A crowd put at 1,500 witnessed Topsy's execution, which was filmed by Edison and released later that year as Electrocuting an Elephant. Enjoyed this article? Indeed, Edison did kill a number of animals. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. So, in a gruesome twist it was announced that she would be killed. During her 25 years at Forepaugh, Topsy gained a reputation as a "bad" elephant and, after killing a spectator in 1902, was sold to Coney Island's Sea Lion Park. The official website of Newsweek and Daily Beast correspondent Michael Daly, author of the 2013 book titled Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. His War of Currents rivalry with George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, both AC proponents, ultimately led to the electrocution of a six-ton zoo elephant named Topsy on Jan. 4, 1903. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/topsy-elephant-was-victim-her-captors-not-really-thomas-edison-180961611/, https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/senses/#:~:text=The%20trunk%20is%20so%20sensitive,kg%20(550%20lb. Elephant Senses. And for Topsy, a member of a deeply intelligent and emotive specieswho was kept in captivity for so much of her life, Edison's feud couldn't have mattered less. Critical Thinking Video Series: Thomas Edison Electrocutes Topsy the Or, learn the sad story of Murderous Mary, the elephant who died by hanging. The cities and towns of Edison's first 25 years. The two circuses tried to one-up each other for which circus had the largest number and the largest sized elephants. Topsy shook violently and then tipped forward. Smugglers captured her as a young baby. Having already electrocuted cattle and a human, Edison was ready for his largest challenge a six-ton elephant named Topsy. It is the essential source of information and ideas that make sense of a world in constant transformation. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. As for Topsy the elephant? Many believe Topsy was a victim of the so-called War of the Currents, the battle between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over alternating and direct current. In 1903, he played no role in the direction of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Brooklyn, which in any case was acting at the behest of officials at Luna Park in conjunction with the SPCA. With American society becoming increasingly sensitive to the affliction towards animals, Topsys execution has been portrayed as a quintessential example of indescribable cruelty to animals. As described by author Michael Daly in his book The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P. T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison, Topsy likely made the transatlantic crossing alone. All rights reserved. Fact Analysis: Circus owners would often fire "competent, more expensive trainers" when attendance was down and instead hired incompetent trainers who were more easily found. It was as if she understood that the humans surrounding her had sentenced her to death. It is believed that Topsys reactions to people tickling her were her natural panic response to what she perceived as danger or potential abuse. But at just a few years old, in 1877, Topsy was kidnapped and smuggled into the United States by Carl Hagenbeck and purchased by American circus owner Adam Forepaugh, writes the Maryland Center for History and Culturein a review of the book "Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked-Tailed Elephant, P.T. The film company, Edison Manufacturing film company which filmed the execution of Topsy, was a privately owned company that was not associated with Edisons original company Edison Illuminating Company. Luna Park management initially planned to hang Topsy. Around her, expectant crowds watched and waited. And even, the War of the Currents drew to a close in the 1890s, while Topsys execution came much later. However, at least two sources have confirmed Edisons role in the proceedings. It is believed to be the first animal execution caught on film and can be seen on YouTube. She used to be tormented no ends during the course of her training and performances. It was during her time as part of the Forepaugh Circus that Topsy started getting a reputation for being a "bad" elephant. Thomas Edison was pro-DC, and a man named George Westinghouse was pro-AC. She raised her feet when asked so that officials could secure copper sandals, meant to better conduct the shock. Luna Park originally had plans to hang Topsy for her disruptive behaviour. ], ProCon.org, "Critical Thinking Video Series: Thomas Edison Electrocutes Topsy the Elephant, Jan. 4, 1903,", ProCon.org, "Critical Thinking Video Series: Thomas Edison Electrocutes Topsy the Elephant, Jan. 4, 1903. It is arguably the most famous animal execution everthe killing of Topsy the elephant at Luna Park on Coney Island in January 1903. 1903: Topsy, the Elephant Electrocuted by Thomas Edison at Coney Island As we do, elephants bury their dead, cry, and will pay tribute to the remains by visiting the burial site for a few days during natural migrating cycles for years. What did Edison do to elephants? Topsy made national news in June 1902 when she crushed spectator James Fielding Blount to death against the ground after he burned the trip of Topsy's trunk with a cigar. Edison's aggressive campaign to discredit the new current took the macabre form of a series of animal electrocutions using AC (a killing process he referred to snidely as getting "Westinghoused"). Elephants are some of the most common victims of execution by humans because their sheer size made it very easy for them to severely harm or kill people. That submission likely saved the film because the types of film negatives used at the time were notoriously unstable and would rot or spontaneously combust. The current application was switched off after 10 seconds. Hybrids' Next Trick Is to Feed Electricity Into the Grid, 2023 Cond Nast. On this day in 1903, Topsy the elephant died of electrocution on Coney Island. What is not mentioned enough in the many articles about Topsy that have been written for well over a century is that what happened to Topsy was unnecessarily cruel and a reflection of the circus industry at the turn of the century. There was a huge blaze of fire and stench of burning flesh. Topsy the Elephant Was a Victim of Her Captors, Not Thomas Edison She went on to earn her Masters Degree in Museum Studies in 2019 from the University of San Francisco. During the War of the Currents, Edison supportersdesperate to show that alternating current was much more dangerous than direct currenthad electrocuted a, Topsys graphic death (which was filmed and is available on. Book Review: Topsy - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal In the end, though, all Edison had to show for his efforts was a string of dead animals, including the unfortunate Topsy, and a current that quickly fell out of favor as AC demonstrated its superiority in less lethal ways to become the standard. The tip of an elephants trunk is so sensitive to touch that they can feel pressure differences as light as 0.25mm (0.01in) in depth, which is equivalent to a light brush against the skin. Topsy threw Blount to the ground in response to the abuse and then crushed him to death. The War of the Currents was a debate between electricians about whether alternating currents (AC) or direct currents (DC) were the safest and most effective for producing electricity. Industrially processed pizzas, cereals, and convenience foods are responsible for a host of diseases. During one incident, Forepaugh beat Topsy so viciously that her tail remained crooked afterwards. Source: Unknown Author / Public Domain. Topsy: The Elephant We Must Never Forget | SpringerLink Nor is there any evidence that officials of Luna Park, the SPCA, or the Brooklyn Illuminating Co. consulted him on the case. The Luna Park Zoo at Coney Island decided that Topsy the Elephant was a danger to visitors after the 10-foot-high Indian elephant killed three trainers in three years. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. In order to make sure that Topsy emerged from this spectacle more than just singed and angry, she was fed cyanide-laced carrots moments before a 6,600-volt AC charge slammed through her body. How did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant? - TimesMojo However this was all a false narrative. But Edison did not kill Topsy. Although he was the president of the Edison Manufacturing Co., which, among other things, oversaw the film company, day-to-day operations were in the hands of the vice president and general manager William E. Gilmore. An elephant being ridden in Luna Park, Coney Island (1906). He says Topsy was a victim of the elephant wars between circus proprietors, not the War of the Currents. Elephants are also one of the very few species of animals to experience grief like humans do. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Kat Eschner is a freelance science and culture journalist based in Toronto. And although Edisons film crew captured Topsys death on camera, Edison himself did not attend her electrocution. To make sure that Topsy died, Luna Park officials first fed her cyanide-laced carrots. Although Thomas Edison is often associated with the electrocution, "it's unlikely that Edison was a direct part of Topsy's execution," says . Odd Salon ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW That's not to make light of the work that Thomas Edison did in popularizing electric lights. Topsy the elephant, born in 1875, was a female Asian elephant who had been brought to the United States. Their ranks include Michael Daly, the author of Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. Did Tesla electrocute elephants? Finally, the elephant was executed on January 4, 1903, at the Luna Park construction area in Coney Island. http://youmustClickItgood.comTopsy The Elephant - Elephant ElectrocutionIn an attempt to discredit Westinghouse and Tesla by showing how dangerous AC electri. The elephant stopped short. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. By Christopher Corbett. Blount is believed to have wandered into the area where the elephants were tied up and decided to tease the elephants. In fact, the correspondence between Edison and Gilmore during January and February 1903 (there is none from December of the previous year) chiefly concerns patents for phonograph speakers. Alt was brought back to lead Topsy to her death, and he refused to walk her across a bridge to the death stage, so the executioner came to Topsy. The War of the Currents had been lost, and Edison's opponents, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, had won. But it hardly made any impact. Since such an incident of electrocution of an elephant was never attempted before, a sizeable crowd drew in to watch the event at the recently opened park. In the late 1880s, Thomas Edison launched a public campaign against alternating current. Electrocuting an Elephant - Wikipedia Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant? - Dance's Historical Forepaugh had the elephant traders smuggle the baby elephant into the United States because he intended to advertise Topsy as the first elephant born in America. At this time in history, circuses were incredibly popular, and Forepaugh was in direct competition with the world-famous Barnum & Bailey Circus. ), The Sun. The answer is an emphatic "no." Topsy was sentenced to death by Luna Park officials after she had killed three men over a three-month period. Myth Buster-Topsy the Elephant - Rutgers University The Edison film company produced over 1,200 short films without direction from Edison himself. Rutgers writes that the managers of Luna Park initially wanted to hang Topsy, but the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) claimed that hanging was "unnecessarily cruel" and instead approved electrocution. In silence, they looked on as she tipped forward, and fell onto the ground. That says it all. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison." As they began to fit her for electrocution, however, Topsy obliged with their every order. If the fact that Forepaugh had a baby elephant smuggled into the US to be in a circus wasnt bad enough, the name Topsy comes from the name of a young slave girl in the book Uncle Toms Cabin. Topsy was fed carrots laced with potassium cyanide, and her feet were placed in conductive copper sandals so she could be electrocuted. Edison is not mentioned in any of the numerous contemporaneous newspaper accounts of the killing of Topsy. Why did Thomas Edison electrocute an elephant? | HowStuffWorks The answer is an emphatic no. Topsy was sentenced to death by Luna Park officials after she had killed three men over a three-month period. Her academic background has inspired her to share the parts of history not in most textbooks. Managing Editor The Luna Park Zoo at Coney Island decided that Topsy the Elephant was a danger to visitors after the 10-foot-high Indian elephant killed three trainers in three years. The Edison Manufacturing movie company also filmed the execution and released the film under the name "Electrocuting an Elephant" (it's posted on YouTube), which may be one of the first ever animal snuff films. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison. Its unclear exactly what happened between Blount and Topsy. Why did Topsy the Outside Repositories & Private Collections, Edison Proves an Inspiration for Poet Clifford H. Tyler, Edison's Telegraphic Script Inspired "Library Hand", From Phonographs to U-Boats: Edison and His Insomnia Squad in Peace and War, 1911-1919, Outside Repositories and Private Collections. To meet these objections, park officials, with the approval of the SPCA, subsequently decided to use a combination of poisoning, strangulation, and electrocution. Topsy was originally owned by Forepaugh Circus where she killed a drunken spectator who burned the tip of her trunk with a cigar.
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