Topsy the Elephant

Born roughly in 1875 Topsy the elephant was a star attraction at Forepaugh Circus at Coney Island's Luna Park.  In the stretch of a few years Topsy killed three men including his drunken abusive trainer who attempted to feed him a lit cigarette.  Because of this Topsy was considered a threat it was decided that he had to be executed.  Initially death by hanging was considered, however the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) protested.   Thompson & Dundy, the owners of Luna Park had an idea and contacted Thomas Edison.

At the time Thomas Edison was pushing DC (Direct Current) for a home power standard while George Westinghouse was pushing AC (Alternating Current).  DC was suitable for short distances, but lost power too easily beyond a few miles on transmission lines.  AC worked well over great distances and did eventually win the battle.  Thomas Edison, who did not like to lose, took a unique tactic in promoting DC.  AC, due to its nature can electrocute a person quite easily, due to the contraction of muscles created by the alternating power.  If a person was electrocuted they cannot pull away from the power source and may die.  DC did not have this drawback.  For this reason Thomas Edison invented and promoted the electric chair in 1890 as proof AC was too dangerous to be in the home.  For this reason Topsy would be electrocuted.

On January 4th 1903 Topsy was fed cyanide laced carrots to ensure that death would be guaranteed and connected to a 6,600 volt AC power source for ten seconds.  Approx. 1,500 people witnessed the electrocution, and Edison's film of the event was seen throughout the United States.

Despite the efforts of Thomas Edison, DC never became the global standard.  Instead AC, which was better suited to this purpose, did.  Topsy's death was a show to promote the park and bury AC.  The result is the famous video (below) which did nothing to deter the success of AC, and a good day for the park.  In 1944 the park was hit by a series of fires and was never rebuilt.  Out of many "Luna Parks" that were created in the image of this park only two survive to today.  Both in Australia. 

Comments

[Gissel]

Oh, poor Topsy. They should have tried with the trainer first.

[Professor (Uncle) Walter]

It is a sad story. Topsy was the biggest and strongest elephant that Luna Park had. In fact he was the engine that built many of the attractions. At the time it was not uncommon to mistreat animals, however the treatment Topsy received was cruel and unusual. The trainer deserved to be punished.