Westinghouse, George (1846-1914), was an American inventor and manufacturer. He produced air brakes for railroad cars. His major inventions include a pipeline system that safely conducted natural gas into homes, and a type of gas meter. Westinghouse also introduced the use of alternating current for the transmission of electric power.
Westinghouse was born on Oct. 6, 1846, in Central Bridge, New York. As a boy, he worked in his father’s machine shop. At 15, he invented a rotary engine. Westinghouse served in the Union Army and Navy during the American Civil War (1861-1865).
By 1866, Westinghouse had already perfected two inventions, a device for replacing derailed railroad cars and a railroad frog, which made it possible for a train to pass from one track to another. His perfection of an air brake in the late 1860’s led to the formation of his first company, the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, in 1869. Westinghouse patented hundreds of inventions and organized over 50 companies. He was president of 30 corporations, including the Westinghouse Electric Company. He died on March 12, 1914.
