“You can be sure if it’s Westinghouse.â€
Raise your hand if you recall that signature line from Westinghouse TV commercials, or if you grew up in a household with Westinghouse appliances. A lot of hands, I’m sure. Far fewer if I were to ask how many still used Westinghouse products today. As pieces of the business were sold off over the years, the Westinghouse brand began to disappear from our kitchens, fading along with the memory of the man who built this powerhouse and changed our society.
In preparing to write this blog, I conducted an unscientific poll of friends and family, asking them who they considered to be America’s greatest inventor. The majority chose Thomas Edison. Not a single one named Edison’s chief rival of the late 19th century, George Westinghouse. Yet Westinghouse’s resume stands up against Edison’s, and not for selling washing machines. His invention of the railroad air brake saved countless lives and speeded the expansion of the United States to the west. Alternating current powers our cities thanks to Westinghouse and the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. Westinghouse introduced the first practical shock absorber for automobile suspensions, and steam turbines for maritime propulsion. He even invented the modern weekend, giving his workers time off on Saturday, as well as benefits such as paid sick leave, in an age when other industrial barons were running sweatshops.
So why is Edison revered and Westinghouse largely forgotten? The answer lies in their contrasting personalities and approaches to business. While Edison was gregarious, colorful – an early master of public relations – Westinghouse was humble and reserved. Edison made sure his name was on any patents his company filed. Westinghouse was content to let his workers take credit for their creations. Edison’s inventions – the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the kinetoscope – were exciting and captured the public’s imagination. Westinghouse’s machines, like their master, worked efficiently behind the scenes, often invisible to the casual observer.
This story has rarely been told…until now. A fascinating new documentary about the life and times of George Westinghouse shines new light on his amazing legacy. Fittingly, it was produced by Inecom Entertainment, a company in Westinghouse’s home city of Pittsburgh, the one place that still honors and appreciates his accomplishments.
Listen to my podcast interview with the writer and director of the Westinghouse documentary, Mark Bussler.
View the trailer for the Westinghouse DVD on our Web site.
Joe Pramberger, Publisher
