Electrocuting an Elephant (1903) - Topsy | WARNING: Viewer Discretion - Thomas Edison Change Before Going Productions 107K subscribers Subscribe 7.7K Save 1.5M views 9 years ago Notice. Smithsonian Magazine. To make sure that Topsy died, Luna Park officials first fed her cyanide-laced carrots. The execution took place on a dreary Jan. 4. shounvolution 962 subscribers Subscribe 11K views 1 year ago This is the story of Topsy, a female circus elephant who suffered a lot of abuse over the years. Edison employed people whose work was invaluable in making lightbulbs practical and affordable for mass use. However, many people dont remember that Edison electrocuted cats, dogs, horses, and an orangutan with alternating current (AC) electricity as part of a campaign to bolster support for his allegedly safer direct current (DC) method of electricity distribution. http://youmustClickItgood.comTopsy The Elephant - Elephant ElectrocutionIn an attempt to discredit Westinghouse and Tesla by showing how dangerous AC electri. The electrocution of Topsy the Elephant - History of Sorts She was later smuggled into America by Adam Forepaugh, the owner of Forepaugh and Sells . A copper-lined boot connected to alternating electrical currents was put on Topsys right front foot and back left foot. She had developed a penchant for rampaging circus resources, frequently going berserk and smacking against people, especially the cruel circus handlers when they tried to hurt or cage her up. The SPCA didn't end up stopping the hanging of Mary a few years later in 1916 another elephant that was publicly executed (per All That's Interesting). She was sold to Sea Lion Park in. There, he may have fed Topsy a lit cigarette. Throughout the 19th and 20th century, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of animals from Africa and Asia were brought to Europe and the United States to be treated as biological curiosities in zoos and circuses. Critical Thinking Video Series: Thomas Edison Electrocutes Topsy the 1903: Thomas Edison stages his highly publicized electrocution of an elephant in order to demonstrate the dangers of alternating current, . She lifted the spectator with her trunk and threw him onto the ground. Topsys graphic death (which was filmed and is available on Youtube) did perhaps represent the culmination of an intensively [sic] personal and private drama for Edison, Daly writes. Introduction They say an elephant never forgets. 6,000 Volts Killed Topsy. Topsy The Elephant - Elephant Electrocution - YouTube Contrary to Popular Belief, This Famous Inventor Didn't Electrocute The execution, since then has been the subject matter of various books, articles and television documentaries. 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Warning: This true elephant story brought tears to my eyes, and was very difficult to write. Topsy was an obedient circus elephant despite the abuse she suffered, but after she finally struck back, she was sentenced to be electrocuted to death on January 4, 1903. States with the Death Penalty, Death Penalty Bans, and Death Penalty Moratoriums, International and American Methods of Execution, Religious Perspectives on the Death Penalty, Critical Thinking Video Series: Thomas Edison Electrocutes Topsy the Elephant, Jan. 4, 1903. Who is the author? With American society becoming increasingly sensitive to the affliction towards animals, Topsys execution has been portrayed as a quintessential example of indescribable cruelty to animals. On Jan. 4, 1903, as a precaution in case the electrocution was ineffective, Topsy was fed cyanide-laced carrots before over 6,000 volts shot through her body in front of a crowd of 1,500 spectators. The precautions were unnecessary, as Topsy was killed nearly instantly. Copyright 2022, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. During her 25 years at Forepaugh, Topsy gained a reputation as a "bad" elephant and, after killing a spectator in 1902, was sold to Coney Island's Sea Lion Park. The fact that any of the extant correspondence of Edison doesnt mention about Topsy or an electrocution incident of an elephant at Luna Park is also worth noting. Many believe Topsy was a victim of the so-called War of the Currents, the battle between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over alternating and direct current. Topsy was restrained using a ship's hawser fastened on one end to a steam . By Christopher Corbett. In her maturity, Topsy was a 10ft (3.0m) high and 20ft (6.1m) long elephant weighing between 3.6 and 5.4 metric tonnes (5.95 US tons). But was Edison to blame? Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison, stated that the electrocution was for Edison a means to vent his fury and frustration over his defeat [in the War of Currents] as well as an opportunity to film the first death of any kind. Tom McNichol, an independent journalist published in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and many other publications, stated in his 2006 book AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War: When Luna Park officials put out the word that Topsy would be killed by more humane means [than hanging]electricityThomas Edison quickly offered his services. As part of his Current Wars with Nikola Tesla, Edison tried to demonstrate the danger of Teslas alternating current by electrocuting dogs, calves, and even horses. Thus, on Jan. 4, 1903, they led Topsy to her death. Naturally, Topsy was turned over to her new owners. While the president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals intervened and told the two men they could not charge admission for people to watch Topsy die, and they couldnt hang her. Since such an incident of electrocution of an elephant was never attempted before, a sizeable crowd drew in to watch the event at the recently opened park. ], [Editors Note: The MLA citation style requires double spacing within entries. Professor Brown illegally purchased a Westinghouse generator and with two surges of electricity, one of them lasting more than one minute, electrocuted murderer William Kemmler to death. Now theres a breakthrough. Instead, it was decided that on January 4, 1903, Topsy would be strangled with large ropes tied to a steam-powered winch, and to prevent a botched death, she would be given poison and shocked with electricity. However, the efforts by Edison and his company to disparage the Westinghouse system failed as a competitive strategy because AC proved to be more efficient for transmitting electricity over large distances. It was Jan. 4, 1903 when Topsy was electrocuted before a crowd of press and onlookers. Why did they electrocute Topsy the elephant? To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. As any good business rival would do, Barnum publicly exposed Forepaughs lie, but it didnt hinder his rivals business. Its unclear exactly what happened between Blount and Topsy. Topsys passing away ended up being stale news decently not long after the episode, however, on the grounds that a video documentation of her demise still exists today, she has returned into the public appearance as an exemplary image of how to show care and respect to animals. A crowd put at 1,500 witnessed Topsy's execution, which was filmed by Edison and released later that year as Electrocuting an Elephant. Topsy the Elephant Was a Victim of Her Captors, Not Thomas Edison. What Daly argues, she writes, is that the War of the Currents was well over by that time, and what had been proven is that Edisons direct current was effective at killing animals. 2016. Hugh Thomas, who was the chief electrician of Luna Park, performed the electrocution. Policymakers and doctors need to lead the food fight. She went on to earn her Masters Degree in Museum Studies in 2019 from the University of San Francisco. Stray dogs and cats were the most easily obtained, but he also zapped a few cattle and horses. The Psychedelic Scientist Who Sends Brains Back to Childhood. Enjoyed this article? I remember Tom [Edison] telling them that direct current was like a river flowing peacefully to the sea, while alternating current was like a torrent rushing violently over a precipice, Westinghouse recalled. Relying on information from previous animal electrocutions using alternating current, they decided electrocution would be a more humane way to kill Topsy. Inside the First Youth-Led Climate Lawsuit to Go to Trial. After Kemmlers execution, Westinghousing became a slang term for the death penalty administered by electrocution. 42 TIL Topsy the elephant was to be publicly hung. 2.8 /10 1.8K YOUR RATING Rate Documentary Short Horror The execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. Edison was happy to oblige. All rights reserved. The handler, William Alt, got drunk in December 1902, rode Topsy down the streets of Coney Island, and attempted to steer Topsy into the local police station. She performed at the Forepaugh Circus for 25 years, and after killing a spectator in 1902, she wound up at Coney Island. On Aug. 6, 1890, New York State performed the first execution by electrocution with the assistance of Thomas Edisons engineers. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. absolutely deplorable and unforgivable moment, Anti Tank Dog: The Soviet Masterplan that Backfired to Disastrous Effects, Captain Jack Bonavita: The One-armed Lion Whisperer, Ota Benga: Tragic Story of the Last Known Human Exhibit at the New York Zoo, Eugen Sandow: The Child Who Became the Father of Bodybuilding, Vardzia: The Mesmerising Cave Monastery that Protected Georgians for Decades, HP Enterprise Creates History as Cloud Computing Experience Reaches Space, Coconut Crab: The Monstrous Predator that Might Have Killed Amelia Earhart, Mammoth Camera: When George Lawrence Built an Enormous Camera for One Particular Picture, Nixons Pyramid: The $6 Billion Safeguard Program Which Lasted One Day, Market Theater Gum Wall: The Sticky Story of a Wall Decorated in Chewing Gum, Sanaa, Yemen: The Cradle of Arabian Ancestry, A Strange Predatory Link Between Killer Whales and Moose, Balut: A Filipino Delicacy Not Many Have the Stomach to Digest, Leonardos Robot: Leonardo da Vincis Mechanical Knight and Other Robots, Mowgli was Real: Dina Sanichar, the Indian Boy Raised by Wolves, Green Boots: Dead Climbers Not Brought Back from Mount Everest Now Serve as Milestones. The video above about Topsy the Elephant is the first episode in ProCon.orgs Critical Thinking Video Series. Frederic and Elmer termed it as her atonement pursuit for being so audacious and belligerent. Although Thomas Edison is often associated with the electrocution, "it's unlikely that Edison was a direct part of Topsy's execution," says Smithsonian. Found the internet! So, in a gruesome twist it was announced that she would be killed. The film company, Edison Manufacturing film company which filmed the execution of Topsy, was a privately owned company that was not associated with Edisons original company Edison Illuminating Company. This portion of Edison's film Electrocuting an Elephant is taken from a German television show. The Night 17 Million Precious Military Records Went Up in Smoke. In 2003, artist Gavin Heck led a competition to choose a memorial piece to install at Coney Island to mark the 100th anniversary of Topsys death. During the War of the Currents, Edison supportersdesperate to show that alternating current was much more dangerous than direct currenthad electrocuted a number of animals: dogs, calves, even a horse. Except, the elephant traders who sold Topsy to Forepaugh also sold elephants to P. T. Barnum and told him that Forepaughs new baby elephant was from them.