Topsy the Elephant Was a Victim of Her Captors, Not Thomas Edison Many believe Edison killed Topsy to prove a point, but some historians argue otherwise An illustration of Topsy … Construction Workers Uncover Ancient Elephant Bones Under L.A.’s Subway, Most Ivory for Sale Comes From Recently Killed Elephants—Suggesting Poaching Is Taking Its Toll, The Russian Village Entirely Populated by Tightrope Walkers, 120,000-Year-Old Cattle Bone Carvings May Be World's Oldest Surviving Symbols, The True History Behind Netflix's 'The Dig' and Sutton Hoo, What to Know Before You Watch Perseverance's February 18 Landing on Mars. Topsy. On this day in 1903, Topsy the elephant died of electrocution on Coney Island. The shortest possible answer is that he didn't, at least not directly. When Sea Lion was leased out at the end of the 1902 season and redeveloped into Luna Park Topsy was involved in several well-publicized incidents, attributed to the actions of either her drunken handler or the park's new publicity-hungry owners, Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy. To reuse/adapt the content in your own work, you must comply with the license terms. Directed by Edwin S. Porter. Give a Gift. Wiz Science™ is \"the\" learning channel for children and all ages.SUBSCRIBE TODAYDisclaimer: This video is for your information only. Topsy era una elefante que llegó a Estados Unidos en 1875 importada de la India por el dueño de un circo, Adam Forepaugh. After copper plates or electrodes were fastened to her feet, 6,600 volts of electricity were turned on. It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith. A quel punto, Topsy, tenta la fuga ma viene catturata poco dopo e riportata in quella che, ormai, ha tutta l'aria di una cella. Topsy the elephant was electrocuted at Luna Park Zoo on Coney Island in 1903. But Even That Can't Protect It From Ocean Mining, 95-Year-Old Nazi Camp Secretary Charged as Accessory in 10,000 Murders, Forgotten 20th-Century Photography Studio Found in New York Attic, Meet Joseph Rainey, the First Black Congressman, The State of American Craft Has Never Been Stronger. She was a domestic animal with the Forepaugh Circus at Coney Island's Luna Park, measuring ten feet in height and 19 feet 11 inches in length. The elephant traders in Southeast Asia seized the baby elephant weighing 200 pounds. Directed by Tyree Dillihay, Bernard Derriman. Keep up-to-date on: © 2021 Smithsonian Magazine. Cookie Policy Topsy belonged to the Forepaugh Circus and spent the last years of her life at Coney Island's Luna Park. Electrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American, short, black-and-white, silent documentary film of the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park. 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Videos 4 References 5 External links When Wagstaff School has their fourth-grade science fair coming up, Louise wants to turn in her baking soda and vinegar volcano again from last year. Get the best of Smithsonian magazine by email. Privacy Statement Como casi cualquier animal de circo en el siglo XIX, Topsy fue arrebatada de su familia con la única intención de ser adiestrada y expuesta en diferentes espectáculos a lo largo de los Estados Unidos. Myth Buster-Topsy the Elephant . "Topsy" is the sixteenth episode in Season 3, being the thirty-eighth episode overall. Born in Southeast Asia around 1875, Topsy was secretly brought into the United States soon thereafter and added to the herd of performing elephants at the Forepaugh Circus, who fraudulently advertised her as the first elephant born in America. Playing next. The video above about Topsy the Elephant is the first episode in ProCon.org’s Critical Thinking Video Series. \"Topsy\" was a female Asian elephant put to death at a Coney Island, New York amusement park by electrocution in January 1903. gained a reputation as a “bad” elephant and, after killing a spectator in 1902, was sold to Coney Island’s Sea Lion Park. He says Topsy was a victim of the “elephant wars” between circus proprietors, not the War of the Currents. On January 4, 1903, Thomas Edison’s company filmed the execution of Topsy the Elephant, the largest purported casualty in the “War of the Currents”! Topsy was originally owned by Forepaugh Circus where she killed a drunken spectator who burned the tip of her trunk with a cigar. It received national coverage in the newspapers, and the Edison Manufacturing Co. sent a film crew to document it. It is arguably the most famous animal execution ever—the killing of Topsy the elephant at Luna Park on Coney Island in January 1903. Advertising Notice Smithsonian Institution, Many believe Topsy was a victim of the so-called War of the Currents, the battle between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over alternating and direct current. 2:45. Did Edison really electrocute Topsy the Elephant? Add to Watchlist. Topsy (elephant) - Video Learning - WizScience.com - YouTube It was produced by the Edison film company (part of the Edison Manufacturing Company) and is believed to have been shot by Edwin S. Porter or Jacob Blair Smith. Topsy’s old trainer Whitey Ault was offered a then handsome sum of $25 to help bring the elephant to her demise, but the saddened trainer turned it down, saying he wouldn’t do it for a thousand. . Their end-of-the-year plans to hang Topsy at the park in a public spectacle and charge admission were stopped by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Brooklyn, New York Died 1903. The Belcher kids take on a Thomas Edison fanatic. The execution of Topsy, a female elephant, in a publicity stunt advertising the opening of Luna Park on Coney Island. And an incident Topsy had with the Coney Island police, which was brought on by a ruthless trainer, made the elephant a big problem for her owners. This video is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . Why Did Ancient Indigenous Groups in Brazil Hunt Sharks? Topsy, the famous "Baby" elephant, was electrocuted at Coney Island on January 4, 1903. Kat Eschner is a freelance science and culture journalist based in Toronto. Many believe Topsy was a victim of the so-called War of the Currents, the battle between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison over alternating and direct current. “Luna Park originally planned to hang Topsy,” according to the Rutgers University introduction to the Edison papers. “Captured on film by Thomas Edison, the event was one of a string of animal electrocutions Edison staged to discredit a new form of electricity: alternating current,” writes Tony Long for Wired. The War of the Currents had been lost, and Edison's opponents, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse, had won. Topsy was a female Asian elephant who was born around 1875 and secretly imported into the United States. A sus ocho años fue traída desde la India por el presentador de circo Adam Forepaugh en 1875 e inmediatamente fue llevada a las carpas circenses para su exhibición como un elefante bebé a pesar de que su edad ya era relativamente avanzada. “Captured on film by Thomas Edison, the event was one of a string of animal electrocutions Edison staged to discredit a new form of electricity: alternating current,”, But some disagree, saying that Topsy was destined to die anyways, and Edison’s electrocution was merely seen to be a convenient and humane way of accomplishing her death. Topsy, the original "Baby Elephant," had been a featured attraction across the United States for 28 years. After all, the War of the Currents, “Luna Park originally planned to hang Topsy,”, Relying on information from previous animal electrocutions using alternating current, they decided electrocution would be a more humane way to kill Topsy. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.Background Music:\"The Place Inside\" by Silent Partner (royalty-free) from YouTube Audio Library.This video uses material/images from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topsy+(elephant), which is released under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ . Questo video - per la sua crudeltà - non è adatto a un pubblico sensibile. But Topsy was expensive to maintain. A lot of people have heard of Topsy, though maybe don't know her name. She was part of the Forepaugh Circus, and according to Wikipedia,. Electrocuting an Elephant (Edison, 1903) - video dailymotion However, writes Rutgers, it’s unlikely that Edison was a direct part of Topsy’s execution or even saw it. She is probably best known for her sad and untimely death by execution on Coney Island by Thomas Edison. After all, the War of the Currents ended in the 1890s, while Topsy’s death came later. After killing a spectator in 1902, she was sold to Coney Island. Topsy was an elephant captured in Africa as a baby and brought to America to entertain cheering circus crowds. And for Topsy, a member of a deeply intelligent and emotive species who was kept in captivity for so much of her life, Edison's feud couldn't have mattered less. We secured an excellent picture of the execution. The event was cut back to invited guests and press only and Thompson and Dundy agreed to use a more sure method of strangling the elephant with large ropes tied to a steam-powered winch with poison and electrocution planned for good measure. During her 25 years at Forepaugh, Topsy gained a reputation as a \"bad\" elephant and, after killing a spectator in 1902, was sold to Coney Island's Sea Lion Park. What Daly argues, she writes, is that the War of the Currents was well over by that time, and what had been proven is that Edison’s direct current was effective at killing animals. Topsy the Elephant. His presence isn’t mentioned in newspaper accounts of the execution, and none of Edison’s correspondence that can be found now mentions Topsy in any way. Because she had killed three men in as many years (including a … So they decided to capitalize on the situation by staging and publicizing a live electrocution of an elephant on Jan. 4, 1903. Thomas Edison, one of the giants of American history, is often credited (or more accurately, maligned) with using electricity to kill an elephant as part of a publicity stunt. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison. Relying on information from previous animal electrocutions using alternating current, they decided electrocution would be a more humane way to kill Topsy. The tragic story of Topsy began sometimes around 1875. Their ranks include Michael Daly, the author of Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. With Carl Goliath, Topsy. “But the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals objected, claiming that this method of execution was unnecessarily cruel.”. But some disagree, saying that Topsy was destined to die anyways, and Edison’s electrocution was merely seen to be a convenient and humane way of accomplishing her death. . The scene opens with keeper leading Topsy to the place of execution. “Topsy had, in fact, killed a man, but her execution was ordered only later, after she proved unmanageable at the hands of a trainer who savaged her with a pitchfork,” writes Vicki Constantine Croke in a review of Daly’s book for The New York Times. Topsy (circa 1875-January 4, 1903), was a circus elephant killed by electrocution on January 4, 1903. Report. Their film of the electrocution part was released to be viewed in coin-operated kinetoscopes under the title \"Electrocuting an Elephant\". Topsy the elephant was born around 1875. This video is currently unavailable to watch in your location. The film was Edison's "opportunity to demonstrate the deadliness of the damnable current on the largest of land animals,” he writes, “a creature so much bigger than any mere man, big enough to vent a great man’s fury and frustration at being bested, to show who is truly boss.” But it didn't matter. "Electrocuting an Elephant" - Topsy vs Thomas Edison 1903. In 1903 at the soon-to-open Luna Park on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted, likely with advice from Thomas Edison,whose film crew recorded the horrible event. Topsy was an elephant that belonged to the herd of performers in the Forepaugh Circus for a major part of her life. A Brief History. Desde que se presentó ante el público por primera vez, Top… 4 janvier 1903 : le jour où Topsy, l'éléphante tueuse d'hommes est électrocutée par Thomas Edison. Browse more videos. Electrocuting an Elephant (also known as Electrocution of an Elephant) is a 1903 American, short, black-and-white, silent documentary film of the killing of the elephant Topsy by electrocution at a Coney Island amusement park. The film was Edison's "opportunity to demonstrate the deadliness of the damnable current on the largest of land animals,” he writes, “a creature so much bigger than any mere man, big enough to vent a great man’s fury and frustration at being bested, to show who is truly boss.” But it didn't matter. Vote Now! California Do Not Sell My Info An illustration of Topsy, a female Asian elephant killed at a Coney Island, New York park by electrocution on January 4, 1903. Topsy was fed carrots laced with potassium cyanide, and her feet were placed in conductive copper sandals so she could be electrocuted. Terms of Use Over the past century, this bizarre, ghoulish execution has reverberated … The author or publisher does not guarantee the accuracy of the content presented in this video. Il 4 gennaio 1903 Topsy, elefante femmina di un circo di New York, fu vittima della rivalità tra Thomas Edison, fautore della corrente continua, e Westinghouse, pro corrente alternata. Sources: Michael Daly, Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. On January 4, 1903 in front of a small crowd of invited reporters and guests Topsy was fed poison, electrocuted, and strangled, the electrocution ultimately killing her. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison, 2013. Over a three year period, Topsy killed three men two of her keepers in Texas, and a third abusive trainer who tried to feed her a lit cigarette. Continue Questo video - per la sua crudeltà - non è adatto a un pubblico sensibile. With H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy. Topsy’s graphic death (which was filmed and is available on Youtube) did perhaps represent “the culmination of an intensively [sic] personal and private drama” for Edison, Daly writes. Mutiny in Space: Why These Skylab Astronauts Never Flew Again, In the 1980s, a Far-Left, Female-Led Domestic Terrorism Group Bombed the U.S. Capitol, Archaeologists in Egypt Discover Mummy With Gold Tongue, Johnson & Johnson Applies for FDA's Emergency Use Authorization for Covid-19 Vaccine—Here's Why That Takes Time, Super High-Speed Footage Captures the Moment a Lightning Bolt Forms, Newly Discovered Marine Reptile Sawed Prey With Serrated Teeth, A New Museum in Nashville Chronicles 400 Years of Black Music, Deep-Sea Snail Builds Its Own Ironclad Suit of Armor. or During the War of the Currents, Edison supporters—desperate to show that alternating current was much more dangerous than direct current—had electrocuted a number of animals: dogs, calves, even a horse. Le Point. Amongst the press that day was a crew from the Edison Manufacturing movie company who filmed the event. Because nobody had ever electrocuted an elephant before, they decided to make sure the act would be completed with a combination of poisoning, strangulation and electrocution. Topsy l'éléphante électrocutée le 4 … During the War of the Currents, Edison supporters—desperate to show that alternating current was much more dangerous than direct current—had electrocuted a, Topsy’s graphic death (which was filmed and is available on. Il 4 gennaio 1903 Topsy, elefante femmina di un circo di New York, fu vittima della rivalità tra Thomas Edison, fautore della corrente continua, e Westinghouse, pro corrente alternata. While there, Topsy was involved in several incidents and again deemed unmanageable. As the 19th century turned into the 20th, one of the biggest attractions at Coney Island's "Luna Park" … 17th Annual Photo Contest Finalists Announced.
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