Introduction
George Westinghouse junior was world renowned as the man who invented the railway air brake. Westinghouse was one of the greatest entrepreneurs in the electrical industry. He was an accomplished engineer and his company competed with that of none other than Thomas Edison himself. George Westinghouse was born in New York on October 6, 1846 and died sixty seven years later on March 12, 1914.
History
When the electric lines were first being laid in America – Edison wanted to provide electricity using direct current. However, this method was proving to be cumbersome and inefficient. Westinghouse devised a system which used alternate current for electric supply. Edison finally accepted that the system suggested by Westinghouse was superior. Nikola Tesla made significant contributions in the research and development of the system that was implemented by Westinghouse. Westinghouse’s efforts in making electricity available to the common man were much appreciated and he received the AIEE’s Edison medal in 1911 for his achievements. In the year 1980, Westinghouse was commemorated posthumously by being included in the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on 8th January, 1886. It was originally known as the Westinghouse Electric Company but the name was later changed to Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Westinghouse Electric faced stiff competition from General Electric which was founded by Thomas Edison. The fierce rivalry between the two electric companies is famously referred to as the War of the Currents. Ultimately, Westinghouse electric won the war. Nikola Tesla played a huge role in the corporation’s success. The Westinghouse Electric company played an instrumental role in the development and implementation of electric supply systems. Westinghouse also dealt in the design, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines. America’s first turbojet engine was produced by Westinghouse. However, the company’s progress was greatly mitigated due to failure of the J40 program. J 40 was a turbojet engine which was primarily developed for aircraft of the American Navy. The engine had serious issues with the afterburner. It also developed less power than expected and questions were raised about the engine’s reliability. Eventually all aircraft that were powered by the Westinghouse j 40 were grounded and the operation was terminated. Westinghouse quit the aviation industry in the 1950s.
Features
Despite the failure of the Westinghouse J40 project and its withdrawal from the aviation business, The Westinghouse Electric Corporation went on to become a multibillion dollar enterprise. It ventured into the Oil Business in Iran but withdrew operation in 1979 – after the Iranian revolution. It quit the locomotive business in the 1954. It developed home appliances and this venture led to the formation of the white Westinghouse Company.
In the 1990s, Westinghouse went through a series of high end deals. The electricity supply business was sold to Eaton Corporation in 1994. The sale fetched the company an amount of 1 billion dollars. It subsequently bought CBS for 5.4 billion in 1995. It further expanded its broadcasting operations and went on to buy Infinity broadcasting. It sold most of its other operations that were not related to broadcasting. The company hence became known as the CBS Corporation. The Westinghouse electric Company was established as a subsidiary of CBS Corporation. The entire CBS Corporation was bought by Viacom in 1999. The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was bought by Toshiba in 2006.
Tips and comments
Today, the corporation is known as the Westinghouse Electric Company. It deals in nuclear energy and its headquarters are located in Cranberry, Pennsylvania.
The word westinghoused also means electrocuted.
