Thomas Edison and the Electrocuted Elephant

In Girl in the Glass, Declan warns James about ALVA, the analytical engine powered by Thomas Edison’s brain:

“Mr. Edison was an amazing genius, except he didn’t always play fair. Once he electrocuted an elephant, simply to make Tesla’s alternating current look dangerous. Now he’s even less human.”

Technically, Thomas Edison did not personally electrocute an elephant. However, his company, Edison Manufacturing, filmed Topsy the elephant’s electrocution to showcase the dangers of alternating current (AC), a technology that Edison's company competed against. Topsy was electrocuted at Luna Park in 1903 on Coney Island, the event organized by the park’s owner. 

Notably, while Edison did not electrocute Topsy, he had waged a "War of the Currents" campaign against alternating current a few years earlier. At that time, Edison's company publicly electrocuted animals like dogs, calves, and horses. So Declan’s facts may be faulty, but he’s directionally correct.  If your curiosity runs deeper, here’s a link to the 1903 video of Topsy’s electrocution.

Topsy in better times

Topsy’s electrocution