The War Of The Currents: Edison, Tesla, And Their Race To Speak With The Dead!

Many of us are familiar with Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla for their contributions to electricity and electrical currents, famously known for their rivalry during the War of the Currents. However, what may surprise you is that these two remarkable individuals were also engaged in another contest—a race to create a device capable of communicating with the deceased.

Interestingly, both claimed early successes in their endeavors, but it seems that one of these devices has since been purported to function decades after their deaths. Whatever the truth, one thing is certain – the battle between Edison and Tesla to speak with those on the other side was a genuine one and was but an extension of their already fierce rivalry.

Indeed, we might imagine just how much the two men might have achieved if they had found a way to combine their talents. However, as we shall see, as great as each man was, Edison and Tesla differed so much that their coexistence in the same space would have been almost impossible.

A Rivalry A Long Time In The Making

Perhaps what makes this apparent rivalry even more compelling is that by the early 1880s, Tesla was working as an assistant for Edison in New York. Despite both men having brilliant minds, their approaches to science were radically different.

Tesla, an inventor, electrical engineer, and futurist, was highly organized and meticulously planned his experiments on paper before executing them. He made groundbreaking contributions to alternating current electricity, wireless communication, and many other inventions, revolutionizing the world with his remarkable intellect.

It’s worth noting that Tesla’s alternating current system proved superior to Edison’s direct current system, further intensifying their rivalry.

Beyond his scientific endeavors, Tesla had an esoteric interest in the metaphysical. Although evidence of his interest in spiritualism is limited, some anecdotes suggest he explored the possibility of communicating with the dead. Tesla claimed to receive innovative ideas and solutions from the “ether,” a term he used to describe the collective consciousness of the universe. This led to speculation that he may have sought knowledge from the spirit realm, blurring the lines between science and the supernatural.

Two Very Different Men

Edison, on the other hand, was an inventor and businessman best known for developing the phonograph, motion picture camera, and electric light bulb. Unlike Tesla, Edison often skipped meticulous planning and dove straight into hands-on work, earning a reputation for being disorganized and untidy, at least according to Tesla.

Edison also ventured into the realm of the paranormal but was more overt in his pursuit of spirit communication than Tesla. His interest in the afterlife and communicating with the dead began after the death of his dear friend, William Leslie, in 1873.

Distraught by the loss, Edison became determined to find a way to communicate with Leslie beyond the grave. He believed that if communication between the living and the dead were possible, it would revolutionize human understanding of the world and provide comfort to countless grieving individuals.

Journeys Into The Paranormal

Despite many similarities, the differences between them were ultimately so significant that Tesla eventually struck out on his own, eager to test his theories away from what he perceived as the restrictive and disorganized methods of Edison. By the end of the 1890s, their battle for supremacy in the electrical world had become global news.

However, their rivalry extended beyond electricity. Both men had a strong interest in the paranormal, particularly in communicating with the spirits of the deceased. Much like their competition over electrical systems, each aimed to be the first to build a device for speaking with the dead.

Initially, Edison dismissed Tesla’s desire to contact spirits. Although paranormal interests were widespread in society, Edison’s scientific mindset prevented him from publicly entertaining such notions. Nevertheless, spurred partly by the loss of his friend William Leslie, Edison’s interest in the paranormal intensified, especially following Tesla’s apparent initial success in this area, which we will discuss shortly.

A Combination Of Science And The Occult

Edison’s initial attempt to create a device for spirit communication involved modifying his phonograph invention. Originally designed to record and play back sound, the phonograph was adapted to capture the voices of spirits.

Edison theorized that if spirits could manifest audibly, they could imprint their messages onto a phonograph cylinder. Although he claimed some success, no tangible recordings or evidence from these early experiments have been found.

Over the years, Edison’s quest for spirit communication intensified, culminating in his most ambitious project: the Ghost Machine. Later dubbed the “Ghost Phone” by the media, this complex and enigmatic apparatus was designed to facilitate communication with the deceased.

It purportedly combined elements of electricity, radio waves, and other occult practices Edison was known to experiment with. The machine aimed to receive messages from the spirit world and translate them into audible voices or written text.

A Public Demonstration

In 1920, after working on his device in complete secrecy, Edison invited several colleagues and friends from the scientific community to witness a demonstration at his laboratory in New Jersey. Edison directed a beam of light from a device resembling a motion picture projector into a photo-electric cell.

His theory was that any disturbance passing through this light beam would be registered on a specialized device. Edison believed that this device could recognize spirits and that these spirits could manipulate it to show their presence.

To corroborate his claims, Edison also invited several mediums to the demonstration. He argued that as the mediums summoned spirits, the machine would register their presence. However, much to his disappointment, although the mediums claimed that spirits were present in the room, Edison’s machine failed to detect them.

Undeterred, Edison brought the experiment to a close and returned to the drawing board. As news of his pursuit of the Ghost Phone spread, public interest surged. Some saw his quest as an audacious attempt to uncover the mysteries of the afterlife, while others were skeptical, dismissing it as a mere publicity stunt or an eccentric obsession.

The Use Of Frequencies

Meanwhile, Tesla, with a more open-minded approach, began developing what he called the Spirit Radio. This device was intended to capture and decode messages from the spirit world. Tesla believed that just as radio waves transmitted information across vast distances, subtler and less understood frequencies might exist through which communication with the deceased or other entities could be facilitated.

Tesla’s innovative mind postulated that these elusive frequencies might be associated with the ether or other dimensions beyond our sensory perception. He speculated that spirits, or “intelligences” as he referred to them, might manipulate these frequencies to communicate with the living. The Spirit Radio was envisioned as a receiver capable of tapping into these frequencies and translating them into comprehensible signals.

Tesla’s research into this area began at the start of the 1900s while he was working on a crystal radio in his laboratory. Suddenly, the system began picking up bizarre sounds—voices speaking in a language he couldn’t understand, which left him intrigued and somewhat unnerved. Since the crystal radio used electromagnetic waves rather than electricity, Tesla started to consider if the sounds he was picking up were the electromagnetic energies of beings from elsewhere, perhaps even from the other side.

Missing Files And Papers

At its core, Tesla, like other scientists, believed that all humans are essentially electrical energy. Furthermore, this energy is eternal, meaning that when a person dies, their electrical energy transitions to another state of existence. This energy is what many understand to be the soul.

Tesla began to consider if the voices he had heard were the energies of deceased people—spirits. He speculated that if he could fine-tune his system and tap into the correct frequency, he could create a device capable of communicating with the dead.

Ultimately, Nikola Tesla’s Spirit Radio project remains a controversial and mysterious part of his legacy. Some believe Tesla was on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery that could bridge the gap between the living and the deceased, while others view it as an unproven and speculative idea lacking concrete scientific evidence.

Tesla died in 1943 before he could fully demonstrate the success of the Spirit Radio. Interestingly, within hours of his death, all of his papers and files were removed from his hotel room before any family member could arrive, and they remain missing today. This disappearance adds to the intrigue surrounding his work.

One notable difference between Tesla and Edison is that Tesla filed patents for the parts and devices required to build the Spirit Radio. As we shall see, decades after his death, people began to study these patents in an attempt to construct the device themselves.

Another Example Of The Suppression Of Information?

Turning our attention back to Thomas Edison, despite his ongoing efforts to develop and refine his Ghost Phone, he passed away in 1931 without ever fully demonstrating its functionality. However, he maintained until the end of his life that further work on the Ghost Phone would eventually succeed in contacting the dead.

Interestingly, much like Tesla, after Edison’s death, all his writings, plans, documents, and records related to the Ghost Phone were either stolen or destroyed. Some speculate that Edison was indeed closer to making contact with the dead than many believed, leading an unknown individual to take the research for private development. Others suggest that ominous government agencies might have seized the research to halt any further development.

However, the most likely reason is that many of Edison’s family and friends were concerned about his reputation. They feared that his involvement with such radical ideas as communicating with the dead could tarnish his otherwise esteemed standing in the scientific community. With this in mind, it is plausible that concerned family members or close colleagues discreetly removed all mention of the Ghost Phone from his records, ensuring the experiment would eventually be forgotten.

Of course, the truth remains elusive. We will never know where those notes went or how close Thomas Edison may have come to speaking with those who have passed on.

The Eventual Realization Of Electronic Voice Phenomena

Returning to Tesla’s Spirit Radio, many people have built the device in recent years, and the sounds it captures are both fascinating and terrifying. These recordings often present a cacophony of inexplicable voice-like sounds crashing into each other, but at times, genuine words or phrases can be discerned.

The technology used for recording Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) is essentially the same as Tesla’s Spirit Radio. EVP is now a significant part of paranormal investigations, with numerous examples of apparent communication with spirits captured. In this respect, we might argue that Tesla’s Spirit Radio was an overwhelming success—if we accept EVP as definite proof of ghostly communication.

Skeptics, however, argue that EVP is merely auditory pareidolia, where people perceive words or phrases in random sounds or noises, similar to seeing faces in abstract images. This skepticism might be easier to endorse if the technology only captured random words or phrases. However, some voices have issued very specific commands, such as telling those present to leave or go away.

Even more astonishingly, there have been many instances where paranormal investigators have seemingly communicated directly with these alleged spirits, with the electronic voices responding accurately or appropriately to questions.

Two Very Fascinating Experiments That Still Fascinate

Ultimately, there is no definitive proof either way. However, the fact that two of the greatest minds of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries made significant attempts to communicate with spirits suggests that further research in this area might uncover something real and genuine.

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison were pioneers in their respective fields, leaving an indelible mark on human history. Their exploration of the paranormal remains a captivating yet controversial aspect of their legacies. Critics argue that their endeavors were merely results of grief or clever marketing ploys to attract public attention. Nevertheless, others believe these remarkable inventors were genuinely intrigued by the possibility of bridging the gap between the living and the dead.

While Tesla and Edison’s attempts to communicate with spirits may be overshadowed by their more renowned scientific achievements, their fascination with the paranormal reveals a lesser-known aspect of their complex personalities. These enigmatic pursuits continue to fuel speculation and interest in the realm of the unknown, reminding us that even the most brilliant minds can be drawn to mysteries beyond our understanding of the physical world.

Whether it was an earnest exploration or an unfulfilled dream, Tesla and Edison’s quest to speak with spirits remains an enduring tale of human curiosity and the boundless thirst for knowledge.

The video below explores these fascinating times a little further.