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It is largely believed that Edison electrocuted lot of animals to prove that AC current was dangerous. There is a video on youtube that goes to show that Edison killed Topsy.

But in Wikipedia I found one link that refutes that claim. I really want to know did Edison really have a hand in killing of the elephant as we all believe.

Andrew Grimm
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minusSeven
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  • What type of evidence are you looking for? Is the New York Times page in that link not enough? – nico Sep 15 '15 at 18:00
  • @nico actually the article on the myth buster page states that ny times article refers to "The electricians who electrocuted Topsy were connected with the "Edison Company." This likely refers to New York Edison, the predecessor to ConEd. Edison had not been part of the company for many years. " This seems speculative to me. I am searching for any other proof that is not speculative since it is generally believed otherwise. – minusSeven Sep 15 '15 at 18:12
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    The [Wikipedia page you refer to](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsy_\(elephant\)) has a complete account, including references. What more are you hoping for from us? – Oddthinking Sep 15 '15 at 18:46
  • @Oddthinking: the wikipedia references are suggesting he wasn't associated the death of Topsy, right? – George Chalhoub Sep 15 '15 at 20:31
  • @George: That he wasn't physically involved, there was no evidence of an association, and several flaws in the claimed motivations, yes. – Oddthinking Sep 16 '15 at 00:28
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    The Thomas Edison papers states "Edison was not present. The electricians who electrocuted Topsy were connected with the "Edison Company." This likely refers to New York Edison, the predecessor to ConEd. Edison had not been part of the company for many years." and "it is very unlikely that Edison himself was involved even in determining whether a film should be made. Edison did not run his motion picture business himself. Contrary to popular myth, the electrocution of Topsy had nothing to do with the battle between AC and DC, which ended with the formation of GE in 1892." – pericles316 Sep 16 '15 at 16:45

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