The history of science is rife with rivalries. Back in the 17th century, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz starred in what author Jason Socrates Bardi calls “The Greatest Mathematical Clash of All Time,” a clash that centered roughly on who invented calculus. Today, both mathematicians are typically credited for their contributions to calculus. In the late 18th century, British chemist Joseph Priestley and French aristocrat Antoine Lavoisier argued vigorously over who discovered oxygen. Nowadays, the American Chemical Society attributes the discovery to Joseph Priestley.

At the end of the 19th century, Thomas Alva Edison, the forefather of the motion picture and the inventor of the lightbulb — among myriad other things — squared off against brilliant inventor Nikola Tesla. Edison wanted the world to run on electricity transmitted through direct currents. Tesla championed electricity supplied in alternating currents. At stake? Nothing less than the future of electrical power. In such a high-stakes battle, there are bound to be casualties. And there were. On this week’s podcast, Robert and I discussed one of the victims in the War of the Currents: Topsy the Elephant.

Robert wanted me to include the short clip of Topsy perishing, thanks to Edison and his demonstration against alternating current. It’s pretty grainy footage, but please don’t watch it if you’d rather not see Topsy meet her end.

Our other podcast published this week doesn’t involve a pachyderm or a spark-happy scientist with a penchant for amateur filmmaking. It does, however, tackle the notion of fighting fire with fire. Note to self: Never ever try to sing Metallica in public again.

So that’s the roundup. By the way, we’re not wholly settled on the title of this weekly roundup post. If you have a suggestion, send it. What about Podcast Pinnacle? Nope. Podcast Plethora? Nope. Podcast Ponderings? Maybe. Thoughts?