Too bad that, as far as I know, I am no relation to Frank J. Sprague (1857-1934), an assistant to Thomas Edison. According to the Edison Tech Center:
Edison's primary interest was in light, while Sprague was interested in power. He resigned his position after about a year and started the Sprague Electric Railway & Motor Company in 1884. During the next two years, Sprague produced a number of inventions of major significance.
Eventually Edison Electric ended up using so many of Sprague's inventions that they decided to merge the two companies into one: General Electric.
How's that for imagination at work?
