Edison helped create the first electric chair to link Tesla's system with death

In the late 1880s, New York state was looking for a more humane way to execute criminals than hanging. Edison saw a dark opportunity. He secretly funded the creation of the first electric chair, making sure it used the exact same kind of electricity Tesla championed. Edison wanted people to associate Tesla's system with instant death. He even tried to invent a new word for execution. He wanted people to say criminals were 'Westinghoused' (after George Westinghouse, the wealthy businessman who funded Tesla's work). The plan backfired slightly because the first execution was messy and horrific, but it showed how far Edison would go to win.