Lindsey Graham

But still, Westinghouse struggled to catch up.

What Westinghouse needed was a technological breakthrough, and it would come from an unlikely source.

In 1888, a little-known Serbian immigrant named Nikola Tesla unveiled a revolutionary new design for a system run on a polyphase alternating current, a method of producing electricity that promised to be cheaper, more efficient, and capable of transmitting electricity over far greater distances.

Westinghouse moved quickly to partner with Tesla, betting that together they could bring Tesla's system to commercial scale and challenge Edison's dominance once and for all.

This is Episode 2 of our three-part series, Edison vs. Tesla, Work of the World.

Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in a small village near the Adriatic Sea in what is today Croatia.

According to family legend, as his mother labored with him, a vicious thunderstorm raged outside, illuminating the countryside with bright bolts of lightning.

The midwife declared he'll be a child of the storm, but his mother responded, no, of light.

As soon as he could run, Tesla joined his older brother Dane chasing sheep, geese, and chickens through the family's yard.

But it was an encounter with a family cat that first sparked his interest in science.

While stroking its back one evening, Tesla was stunned to see that its hair stood up in what he described as a sheet of light.

Later, he recalled, my hand produced a shower of sparks loud enough to be heard all over the house.

When he asked his father about this mysterious force, his father explained it was electricity, the same phenomenon that lit up the skies during a storm.

Fascinated by what he'd seen, Tesla began to read everything he could about electricity and developed a deep interest in engineering and mechanics.

But this early sense of wonder was soon overshadowed by tragedy.

At just seven years old, Tesla watched in horror as his older brother Dane was trampled and killed by the family's horse.

Grief-stricken, Tesla's father became depressed and brooding, so Tesla turned to his mother for comfort.

She was the creative force in the household, and he often sat with her as she wove intricate patterns and designs with thread and invented tools and devices to help with household chores.

Watching her work inspired Tesla and helped to channel his grief and confusion after his brother's death.

And while he found comfort with his mother, expectations for his future were already taking shape.