The IEEE Edison Medal is presented by the IEEE "for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering or the electrical arts." It is the oldest medal in this field of engineering. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (pronounced as eye-triple-ee) is an international non-profit, professional organization incorporated in the State of New York, United States. ...

The award is named after Thomas Edison. The Edison Medal was created on 11 February 1904 by a group of Edison's friends and associates. Four years later the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) entered into an agreement with the group to present the medal as its highest award. The first medal was presented in 1909 to Elihu Thomson. Other recipients of the Edison Medal include George Westinghouse, Alexander Graham Bell, Nikola Tesla, and Vannevar Bush. A complete list can be found here. Thomas Alva Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many important devices. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963 (when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE)). The 1884 founders of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) included some of the most prominent inventors and... 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Elihu Thomson (March 29, 1853 - March 13, 1937) was an engineer who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, Britain and France. ... George Westinghouse (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer now best known for the brand of electrical goods that bear his name. ... Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847–August 2, 1922) was a scientist, inventor, and founder of the Bell Telephone Company, known as the father of the telephone. ... Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 - January 7, 1943; both dates in the Gregorian calendar) (baptismal name: Николай) was an Serbian-American inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. ... Vannevar Bush (March 11, 1890–June 30, 1974) was an American engineer, inventor, and politician, known for his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and idea of the memex —seen as a pioneering concept for the world wide web. ...

After the merger of AIEE and the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE), in 1963, to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), it was decided that IRE's Medal of Honor would be presented as IEEE's highest award, while the Edison Medal would become IEEE's principal medal. Following several attempts to form a technical organization of wireless practitioners in 1908-1912, the Institute of Radio Engineers (IRE) was finally established in 1912 in New York. ... The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (pronounced as eye-triple-ee) is an international non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity. ...

History

Nikola Tesla, 'The Genius who Lit the World', received the Edison Medal in 1917. Tesla worked with Edison after he arrived in the US, but the two men were worlds apart and soon they went their separate ways again. The war of currents, AC (Tesla) and DC (Edison) that started a few years later brought animosity and bitterness to the two. It is therefore not easy to understand why Tesla accepted the medal, 'which probably honored Edison more than the recipient'. After Tesla's death in 1943, his Edison Medal went missing [[1]]. Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 - January 7, 1943; both dates in the Gregorian calendar) (baptismal name: Николай) was an Serbian-American inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer. ... In the War of Currents era in the late 1880s, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edisons promotion of direct current (DC) for electric power distribution over the more efficient alternating current (AC) advocated by Tesla. ...

External links

• IEEE Page about the Edison Medal
• Complete List of Edison Medal Recipients
• IEEE Edison Medal Committee
• IEEE Edison Medal Nomination Form