Acontece que no es poco | 14 de marzo de 1888: AC/DC y el huracán blanco de Nueva York
Podcast: Todo Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Host: Nieves Concostrina
Date: March 14, 2023
Overview:
This episode dives into the catastrophic "white hurricane" that hit New York in March 1888—a snowstorm that turned tragic not just because of the weather, but mainly because of hundreds of electrocutions caused by downed power lines. Nieves Concostrina explores this historical disaster, using it as a lens to examine the technological rivalry between Thomas Edison (advocate of direct current, DC) and Nikola Tesla (pioneer of alternating current, AC), which ultimately influenced public safety and inspired the name for iconic rock band AC/DC.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Introducing the Historical Disaster (00:28–01:13)
- Setting the scene: The show acknowledges the end of winter and jumps back to one of the coldest, deadliest events in New York’s history: the Blizzard of 1888.
- Central Tragedy: While the storm itself was brutal, the real horror was the electrocution of hundreds on the streets—an unintended outcome of new, vulnerable electric infrastructure.
2. The Pop Culture Connection: Gilda and "Put the Blame on Mame" (01:13–02:52)
- Cinematic entry point: Nieves references the noir classic Gilda (1946), and its song "Put the Blame on Mame," which lists America’s historic disasters but slips up on the date of the NY snowstorm:
- Quote:
"Esa canción que hace como que canta Rita Haybor... recoge las tres grandes catástrofes de la historia de Estados Unidos hasta entonces."
("That song, with Rita Hayworth pretending to sing... recounts the three great catastrophes in US history up to then.") — Nieves Concostrina [01:33]
- Quote:
- The song mistakenly says the storm hit in 1886; it was actually 1888.
3. The Blizzard’s Aftermath: Snow, Electricity, and Death (02:52–05:00)
- Scope of the disaster:
- Three days of snow, 14°C below zero, winds of 80 km/h.
- Manhattan left a ghost city; over 400 people died.
- Quote:
"Nueva York se convirtió en una ciudad fantasma... más de 400 muertos, que no murieron de frío... Murieron electrocutados la mayoría. Y mira, en este caso no hay que echarle la culpa a Mame, hay que echarle la culpa a Edison."
("New York became a ghost city... over 400 dead, and most didn’t die from the cold... Most died from electrocution. And in this case, don’t blame Mame, blame Edison.") — Nieves [03:24]
- Why so deadly?
- Overhead powerlines, burdened by snow and ice, collapsed, snaking live wires across wet streets.
- The public infrastructure was unprepared for heavy snow, making exposure to electricity fatal.
4. Why Edison’s System Failed: The War of Currents (05:00–10:00)
- The price of progress: NYC had more deaths from electrocution because Edison’s direct current (DC) system was dominant there; other northeast cities also suffered the storm, but did not see as many electrocutions.
- Edison vs. Tesla:
- Nieves’s perspective on Edison:
"A mí como me cae fatal el tal Tomás Alva Edison... era un celoso y un tramposo."
("I can’t stand Thomas Alva Edison... he was a jealous, scheming person.") — Nieves [05:20] - Tesla had proposed safer, improved systems to Edison, but was rejected and sabotaged.
- What Tesla introduced (alternating current) became the norm, but too late for those lost in Manhattan.
- Nieves’s perspective on Edison:
5. The Origin of AC/DC—and a Rock Connection (06:07–07:00)
- Band name origins:
- "AC/DC" stands for "Alternating Current/Direct Current"—the technological heart of the Edison-Tesla war.
- The Young brothers saw the label on their sister’s sewing machine and chose it as a band name.
- Quote:
"Son las siglas en inglés de corriente alterna y DC, las siglas de corriente continua... Eso es lo que había en los zapatos eléctricos de entonces."
("Those are the English acronyms for alternating current and direct current... That’s what was in the electric shoes of that era.") — Nieves [06:27]
6. The Tesla-Edison Drama: Betrayal and Rivalry (07:00–10:00)
- Tesla’s arrival: In 1884, Tesla (then from Austria-Hungary, now Croatia) arrives in NYC with a glowing letter of recommendation to Edison.
- The letter essentially ranked Tesla and Edison as equally great—offending Edison.
- Edison tasks Tesla to improve his DC system, promising $50,000 if successful.
- Tesla does so, but Edison refuses to pay or accept Tesla’s improvements.
- Quote:
"Tesla tenía la solución y Edison se encendió pero de ira."
("Tesla had the solution, and Edison was consumed with rage.") — Nieves [08:53]
- Personality divide: Tesla worked methodically, mathematically; Edison worked by trial and error and saw Tesla as a threat, not a partner.
- The Break: Betrayed, Tesla strikes out alone, finding new backers for his AC system.
7. The War of Currents: AC Triumphs Over DC (10:00–11:43)
- Showdown: Edison (and General Electric) vs. Tesla (and Westinghouse).
- Victory:
- AC is safer, cheaper, and more flexible—becomes the global standard.
- Quote:
"El presente es suyo [Edison], pero el futuro es mío"
("The present is his [Edison’s], but the future is mine.") — Tesla, quoted by Nieves [11:18] - Tesla is now celebrated as the technological father of the 20th century.
8. Tesla’s Delayed Recognition & Edison’s Overshadowing (12:25–14:24)
- Tesla’s reputation: Only in recent years has Tesla gained public recognition.
- Until recently, Edison was credited for nearly all major electrical advances in popular culture and schoolbooks.
- Even Google images for "International Inventor’s Day" (Nov 9, honoring Hedy Lamarr) used to show Edison, not Lamarr nor the German who founded the day.
- Quote:
"En todos los libros del cole nos hablaban de Edison, no de Tesla. La presencia invasiva de este hombre."
("In all our school books, it was Edison, not Tesla. That man’s presence was everywhere.") — Nieves [12:43]
- Edison’s darker side: Public animal executions using Tesla’s AC, just to discredit him—teased for a future episode.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the main culprit:
"No hay que echarle la culpa a Mame, hay que echarle la culpa a Edison."
("Don’t blame Mame, blame Edison.") — Nieves Concostrina [03:24] -
On Edison’s arrogance:
"No iba a venir nadie a decirle que su sistema de corriente continua era manifiestamente mejorable."
("He wasn’t going to let anyone tell him his direct current system needed improvement.") — Nieves [06:37] -
On Tesla’s perspective:
"El presente es suyo, pero el futuro es mío."
("The present is his, but the future is mine.") — attributed to Tesla [11:18] -
On Edison’s relentless overshadowing:
"En todos los libros del cole nos hablaban de Edison, no de Tesla..."
("In all our school books, it was Edison, not Tesla...") — Nieves [12:43]
Important Timestamps
- 00:28–01:13 – Introducing the blizzard and its surprising cause of death
- 01:13–02:52 – Gilda’s song and the pop culture connection to the disaster
- 03:24 – Nieves directly implicates Edison in the deaths
- 05:20–06:09 – Transition to Edison’s rivalry and refusal to accept improvement
- 06:26 – Explanation of AC/DC and its link to the war of currents
- 07:00–10:00 – Tesla’s employment by Edison, betrayal, and split
- 10:00–11:43 – The broader war between AC (Tesla) and DC (Edison)
- 12:40 – Tesla’s recent rise in public awareness vs. Edison’s former dominance
- 14:00 – Edison’s use of public stunts to demonize Tesla’s AC
Tone and Style
- Conversational, witty, irreverent: Nieves brings a playful and acerbic tone, unafraid to criticize historical “heroes” like Edison.
- Pop and cultural references: The show blends memorable cinema (Gilda), rock music (AC/DC), and dramatic history to make the subject relevant and exciting.
- Indignant and corrective: The episode takes care to correct the historical record about Tesla’s importance in world technology.
For Listeners Who Missed the Episode
This captivating episode details how a deadly blizzard in New York exposed the fatal flaws of Edison's electrical system, and how historic technological stubbornness cost lives. Nieves Concostrina cleverly interweaves music, film, and a sharp-tongued critique of historical figures—and concludes by championing Tesla’s innovations, noting how history has finally begun to rightfully credit the technological pioneer.