The post-Civil War era witnessed an explosion of invention and technological improvement. Contributors included such figures as Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone; Thomas Edison, the amazingly talented "Wizard of Menlo Park;" George Westinghouse, developer of the air brake and lucky friend of Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla^, invented and developed Alternating Current, (AC), associated generators, motors, switches, and transformers, and the practical means to transmit alternating current. Tesla was the inventor and holds the patent for inventing broadcast radio. Cyrus Field, responsible for laying the first transatlantic cable; Henry Bessemer and William Kelly, independent developers of steel production methods; The Wright Brothers, pioneers in flight; and the Duryea brothers, developers of early automobiles, are also in the mix.