Scott here with another episode of the History on Blog Podcast.

You turn on a light or charge your phone without thinking about it, but behind that simple

flow of electrons that powers your modern world are centuries of scientific innovation and

fascinating and bizarre stories of those who made it possible.

Fortunes were made in loss, ideas were stolen, rivalries pursued, dogs electrocuted, beard

set on fire, arms amputated, and decapitated human heads reanimated all with the invention

and evolution of electricity.

And although the greatest minds of study electricity and electromagnetism like Albert Einstein,

the ideas and technology are surprisingly simple, and if we'd research earlier, we could

have had electrification in the late Middle Ages and had a steam punk alternate history.

To discuss these factuals and counterfactuals is today's guest, Kathy Joseph, author of

the new book The Lightning Tainvers.

Here's stories of the dreamers and schemers who harness electricity and transform our world.

We look at the 400 years of science that made electricity possible, from the assistant

who invented the electric light 140 years before Edison to the severed ear that led to the

telephone, to the incredible business rivalry between George Westinghouse and Tom Seddison

that made the business wars between Coke and Pepsi or HBO Netflix look absolutely tame

by comparison.

This is a fascinating exploration into a facet of our lives that is fundamentally important

but we take for granted.

Hope you enjoyed this discussion with Kathy Joseph.

And one more thing before we get started with this episode, a quick break for a word

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