Final answer:
Edison developed the electric chair to discredit alternating current (AC) by associating it with danger, as part of his efforts to maintain dominance in the electrical industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Edison's involvement in developing the electric chair was part of a larger conflict known as the 'War of the Currents,' which was essentially a battle between two different electrical systems: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). Edison, a staunch supporter of DC, saw the rising popularity of AC, as developed by George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla, as a threat to his DC-based empire. In an attempt to discredit AC, Edison and his associates orchestrated public electrocutions of animals using AC and also publicly demonstrated that AC was suitable for executions by promoting its use in the first electric chair. Edison's goal was to associate AC with danger and death in the mind of the public, which, he hoped, would make people hesitant to have AC in their homes. However, despite these efforts, AC's superior ability to transmit over long distances ultimately cemented its use as the standard for electric power distribution.