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Westinghouse traced its history to
establishment of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company in 1869.
That business was headed by inventor George Westinghouse
(1846-1914) and made breaking systems for trains, based on
compressed air.
In 1884 he formed the Westinghouse Electric Company (which
became the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company two
years later). Westinghouse acquired Nikola Tesla's
patents
for a polyphase system of alternating current in 1888,
challenging Edison's DC-based electrical
system. He also initiated long-distance power transmission and
hydroelectric generation at Niagara Falls in 1896.
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During the First World War Westinghouse
produced military transmitters and receivers. In 1919
Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad's Pittsburgh radio station
8XK (later KDKA) received an
experimental licence. Westinghouse was one of the founders of
Radio Corporation of America (RCA), joining with GE, US
telecommunications giant AT&T and United Fruit. It acquired the
International Radio Telegraph Co in 1920 and launched commercial
radio stations in Philadelphia, Newark, Pittsburgh and other
locations. |
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Westinghouse rode the boom as a manufacturer of major equipment
(including locomotives) and appliances. Failure to expand
downstream into record and film production or to establish a
large-scale broadcast network reflecting regulatory constraints,
lack of enthusiasm by key investors and the modus vivendi with
competitor GE through the RCA joint venture, RCA encompassed
broadcast, recording and film production interests. |
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Westinghouse emerged from the war as the world's second
largest electro technical group, with diverse manufacturing
operations. |
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