The War of the Currents (1880s-1890s) witnessed Thomas Edison's direct current empire confronting Nikola Tesla's revolutionary alternating current system. Tesla's technical innovations, combined with George Westinghouse's strategic business decisions & financial commitment, established alternating current as dominant power distribution paradigm. The 1893 Chicago World's Fair provided decisive demonstration of AC's practical capabilities, concluding the technological competition & establishing the foundation for modern electrical infrastructure powering contemporary civilization.