The electric chair is an unintended product of a corporate battle between the Westinghouse and Edison companies.

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The electric chair was adopted as a method of execution in the United States during the late 19th century as a result of a competition between the rival companies Westinghouse and Edison, known as the "War of Currents." Edison backed the use of direct current (DC) for electric power distribution, while Westinghouse favored alternating current (AC). To discredit AC, Edison and his supporters promoted the idea that it was more deadly than DC, and thus created the electric chair as a means of demonstrating AC's supposed danger. Westinghouse, however, opposed the use of the electric chair and even offered to supply electricity to the state of New York without charge if they used a different method of execution.

The Electric Chair Is an Unintended Product of a Corporate