ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Heater-Fan-Lite Combos

Scott
Is that Nurse Diesel or Ratchet?

First 3-Pager I've seen! Yes?

Who's Nurse Diesel?


Bill

From some of my reading, the fight between Edison & Westinghouse reached some pretty bizarre proportions at one point. Apparently Edison once claimed that AC of almost any level was extremely dangerous but that DC of up to several hundred volts (700V if I recall correctly) was quite harmless!

A challenge even went out for two men to be given shocks in 100V increments, one AC the other DC, until one cried "Enough!" The challenge was wisely refused.

It seems that it was largely due to Edison's influence that NY adopted AC for the first electric chair in 1890, although Westinghouse refused to sell them a generator.

Ignoring the fact that in certain areas one had little choice over the power available, Edison made much of th fact that Westinghouse lit his own home with DC.

Despite being a genius in many ways, this seems to be one time that Edison really got it wrong. I wonder if his thought processes would have been different if he had not had so muchat stake finacially.

By the way, some old 3-W DC distribution (at 200/400 to 250/500V) was in use here until the 1960s.

[With apologies to Bill for continuing the topic detour.]

Paul,

I think that we've covered the original topic adequately. This is all interesting stuff. I've been meaning to start a 'History' section here but haven't had the time.

Maybe soon...

Bill

I'm sure many people would find discussions of historical aspects quite fascinating - I certainly do. There's a lot of electrical history which explains why things are done a certain way today.

May i second the vote on ' electrical history'

send me back to school..this time i'll behave!

Oh, Nurse Diesel was on High Anxiety. Her and Harvey Korman were into odd role playing and bondage.
She was a real agro -, aaahhh, let's just say the word rhymes with Ditch

The two of them kept administering high doses of meds and torture to patients - hence the "Oh No! Here Comes Nurse Diesel" term

Ya, I know - it's lame It's another one of those "Inside Sayings".
Most people have never seen High Anxiety, or like the movie. It's not on the top 10 for me [like the all-time classic Blazing Saddles], but it's within the top 150.

Man, she was bu** ugly!!! (need a smilee for "Yuck and Yikes" together)

Scott SET

Oh yes... classic Mel Brooks!

(I didn't remember her name, though)

[shudder]