Edison vs. Tesla | The Business of Discovery | 4
American History Tellers
Audible
4.6 • 19K Ratings
🗓️ 27 May 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Thomas Edison is one of the most celebrated inventors in American history, having helped transform a world lit by candles and gas lamps into one powered by electricity. Over his lifetime he was granted more than a thousand patents, and pioneered the very idea of organized innovation at his ground-breaking research and development laboratories. But the story of how he did it is complicated. So, to help us understand Edison’s remarkable achievements, Lindsay is joined by Dr. Paul Israel, Director and General Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University. He’s the author of Edison: A Life of Invention.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, American history teller listeners. I have an exciting announcement. I'm going on tour and coming to a theater near you. |
| 0:06.8 | This live show is a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music with a full band accompanying me as we look back to explore the days that made America. |
| 0:15.4 | And they aren't the days that you might think. Sure, everyone knows July 4th, 1776. We'll be hearing a lot about that date this year, |
| 0:22.4 | but there are many other days that are maybe even more influential. So come out to see me |
| 0:26.9 | live. More shows to be announced soon. So for information on tickets and upcoming dates, |
| 0:31.8 | go to American History Live.com. That's American History Live.com. Come see my Days That Made America tour, live on stage. Go to |
| 0:40.5 | American History Live.com. |
| 0:46.1 | From Audible originals, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American History Tellers, Our History, |
| 0:51.7 | Your Story. |
| 1:08.3 | Thank you. and history tellers, our history, your story. Few figures in American history |
| 1:10.5 | reshaped daily life as much as Thomas Edison. |
| 1:13.9 | The world he was born into in 1847 was lit by candles and oil lamps for most Americans, |
| 1:19.8 | and gas lit for the wealthy few. But by the time he died in 1931, electricity flowed through |
| 1:26.0 | homes and businesses across the country. |
| 1:28.4 | Edison and the research teams he organized played a major role in that transformation. |
| 1:33.5 | Over the course of his life, he was granted more than a thousand U.S. patents, |
| 1:37.4 | but his legacy extends beyond invention. |
| 1:40.4 | Edison helped pioneer the very idea of organized innovation, |
| 1:45.9 | building some of the first modern research and development laboratories in Menlo Park and later West Orange, New Jersey. |
| 1:50.9 | In the process, he established a model for how the modern world would go about the business |
| 1:55.3 | of discovery. |
| 1:57.0 | To help us understand the man behind the myth, I'm joined today by Dr. Paul Israel, |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 19 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Audible, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Audible and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.