Edison used public animal electrocutions to scare people away from Tesla's technology

Edison's power system could only send electricity about a mile. Tesla's system could send it for hundreds of miles. To stop Tesla from taking over, Edison tried to convince the public that Tesla's system was too dangerous to be allowed in homes. He paid local kids to bring him stray dogs and cats, and he electrocuted them in front of reporters. Edison's team even went after larger animals. The most famous case was Topsy, a circus elephant that had killed three keepers and was sentenced to death. Edison's crew helped use Tesla's type of electricity to kill the elephant. They filmed it and showed the footage to terrified audiences across the country.