I agree on Edison. I see it's pretty much unanimous here for him, and indeed the facts speak for themselves. Edison relied on heritage and previous ideas extensively in his work, and was a shrewd businessman. He was determined and focused, and demanded the best from his colleagues as well. He used his capacity for invention as a business opportunity. Tesla was the opposite in many regards, but thought outside the box and invented our AC power grid, AC induction motors that we use today, made extensive contributions to the field of radio, did groundbreaking work in LC resonance, and thereby laid the foundation for much of our modern technology. However, unlike Edison, he was completely unable to learn to work within the boundaries of society, and turned more or less a madman, with all the mystery thereto assigned.

It is no suprise that the one with the most recognition and fame is Edison. Ask anyone on the street, and they have probably never heard of Tesla, but remember being tought in school of Edison's greatness. Clearly it takes more than Edison's clever mind to be compatible with society's mindset. That he he rose to fame while Tesla's accoplishments and contributions are only recognized in obscure scientific communities such as this pays tribute to the fact that being smart isn't enough, one must be well spoken, charistmatic, and elloquent as well. Edison is remembered as the father of modern electricity because he was able to work electricity as well as the system, and Tesla sucked at the latter.