What happened to Westinghouse?

Westinghouse Electric Corporation was one of the most significant American companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, responsible for numerous innovations and advancements in the fields of electrical power generation, transmission and distribution, and the manufacture of electrical equipment and appliances. The company was founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse, a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, and quickly became a major player in the burgeoning field of electrical technology.

Westinghouse's early success was due in large part to the company's close relationship with Nikola Tesla, a brilliant Serbian-American inventor who had developed a number of groundbreaking technologies in the field of alternating current (AC) electricity. In 1888, Westinghouse purchased the rights to Tesla's AC motor and transformer designs, which allowed the company to develop a practical and efficient system for transmitting electrical power over long distances.

This system, known as the AC power grid, revolutionized the field of electrical power generation and distribution and made it possible to transmit electrical power over vast distances, which enabled the development of large-scale power plants and the widespread electrification of cities and towns. Westinghouse's AC power system was used to power the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls in 1895, which provided electricity to the city of Buffalo, New York.

Westinghouse continued to innovate and expand throughout the early 20th century, developing a wide range of electrical appliances and equipment, including electric ranges, refrigerators, and air conditioning units. The company also played a key role in the development of nuclear power, building the first nuclear power plant in the United States in 1957.

However, by the late 20th century, Westinghouse had fallen on hard times. The company had struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing technological landscape, and had failed to adapt to the rise of new competitors in the electronics and computer industries. In 1995, Westinghouse acquired the CBS television network, but this move did little to boost the company's fortunes.

In 1999, CBS Corporation sold its nuclear power business to British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), which included the Westinghouse Electric Company subsidiary. This move was intended to help CBS focus on its core media and entertainment businesses, but it also marked the beginning of the end for Westinghouse as a standalone entity.

In 2006, BNFL sold Westinghouse to Toshiba, a Japanese conglomerate, for $5.4 billion. At the time, Toshiba was eager to expand its presence in the global nuclear power industry, and saw the acquisition of Westinghouse as a key part of this strategy. However, the acquisition proved to be a major financial burden for Toshiba, as cost overruns and delays in the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States led to billions of dollars in losses.

In 2017, Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy, marking the end of an era for one of America's most iconic companies. The bankruptcy was the result of a number of factors, including the difficulties faced by Toshiba in the nuclear power industry and the failure of Westinghouse to adapt to the changing technological landscape. However, despite its decline and eventual bankruptcy, Westinghouse remains an important part of the history of American innovation and entrepreneurship, and its legacy can still be seen in the many electrical appliances and equipment that bear its name today.