Edison Electrocuted an Elephant | The Dark Side of the Current War

January 4, 1903, at Luna Park in Coney Island, New York, an elephant named Topsy was killed after years of mistreatment by handlers. One of them, hired illegally and reportedly intoxicated, had burned her trunk with a cigar. When he was later killed during an altercation, blame was placed entirely on her. Park owners chose to make her death public. The event was organised, witnessed, and filmed. Topsy was fed poisoned carrots, restrained, and electrocuted in front of invited onlookers. The killi