I have always been fascinated by Tesla and, by associative extension, the ol' Wizard of Menlo Park (I saw a nice exhibit of Edison stuff at a museum in Albany a few years back that really stuck in my mind -- I couldn't get past the feeling that Thomas Edison's legendary productivity persisted in spite of, not because of, his famous claims about not needing sleep). Which reminds me, tangentially, it is fricking ridiculous that I have neither read The Prestige, nor seen the movie which it inspired.
Anyway, here's an amazing little piece (with a movie and links) from Wired yesterday:
Jan. 4, 1903: Edison Fries an Elephant to Prove His Point
