George Westinghouse

American inventor and businessman (1846–1914)

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Lived 1846–1914, aged 68United States

United States ScientistsScientist

Wikipedia
53 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1846–1914
Aged 68
Awards
4
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-10

He bet everything on alternating current when Edison's direct current seemed unstoppable — and won the contract to light the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, then Niagara Falls. Before that, he'd already revolutionized railroads with compressed air brakes.

Biography

About

George Westinghouse Jr. was born October 6, 1846, and by 1869 had founded the Westinghouse Air Brake Company after inventing a train braking system using compressed air that transformed rail safety worldwide. His engineers went on to develop track-switching and signaling systems, spawning Union Switch & Signal in 1881. In the early 1880s he turned to natural gas, creating inventions for its safe production and transmission that launched an entire energy industry. Then in 1886 he founded the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and went head-to-head with Thomas Edison's direct current system, cham…

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