 Contested
Currents
The Race to Electrify America
 George
Westinghouse
George Westinghouse, Jr.
was born
in 1846 as the son of a machine shop owner. At the age of sixteen, George enlisted in the Navy. Throughout the United
States Civil War, he served in both the Army and Navy.
Early
in his life he witnessed a train
wreck where two train engineers saw one another, but were unable to
stop their trains in time using the existing brakes.
  In 1869,
at age 22, he invented a railroad
braking system using compressed
air. It was patented by Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company (WABCO) was created to manufacture
and sell Westinghouse's invention.
Introduction/Site
Map | Classroom Resources | Bibliography || Cover
Page
|
