Biography
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia, as a fourth child to parents Milutin Tesla and Djuka Mandic. His father was a Serbian Orthodox Priest while his mother was an inventor of household appliances. Although pressured by his father to join the priesthood, Tesla was mostly interested in sciences.
His calling was towards electrical engineering, for which he studied at the Polytechnic Institute in Graz, Austria, the Realschule, Karlstadt and the University of Prague. Tesla moved to Budapest and began his career working with a telephone company in 1881 and it was during this time that he first encountered the idea for the induction motor. He successfully built a prototype, but failed to raise public attention to his invention. Later on, at the age of 28, he moved to the United States and began working for the recognized inventor of DC-current systems, Thomas Edison.
However, the two scientists’ opinions clashed, as Tesla considered alternating current to be more efficient. Consequently, conflict arose among them as Edison protected his investment in DC equipment and facilities, which led to their taking separate ways, and Tesla proceeded to develop AC systems composed of generators, motors and transformers.
In 1888, George Westinghouse purchased Tesla’s patents with the goal of developing a large-scale AC system. This came to be known as the war of currents, AC and DC. Eventually, Tesla’s proposed system prevailed, as AC current could be stepped up to vary voltage levels and minimize power losses. In 1895 Tesla designed the first hydroelectric power plant, which was later used to power the city of Buffalo, gaining him worldwide recognition. Eventually the use of AC power systems popularized and is, to this day, the standard in power generation and distribution.
Using the money he had earned through the sale of patents to the Westinghouse Corporation, Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Company in New York, were he dedicated himself to the invention of new devices, including the Tesla coil, which served as base for his ideas on wireless transmission and is widely used today in televisions and other electronics.
Tesla set his mind on the construction of a giant transmission tower, planned to be the first broadcast system, for which J.P. Morgan invested over $150.000. This endeavor proved to be problematic in the following years, as budget was not enough to complete the construction. Moreover, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent the first wireless signal, effectively taking Tesla’s potential to commercialize the radio, and it was not until years later, in 1943, that the U.S. Supreme Court determined it was indeed his invention. Moran withdrew his funds from the initiative and the tower was demolished in 1917.
In 1899 Tesla moved to Colorado Springs, where he conducted high voltage and frequency experiments with the goal of developing a wireless global energy transmission system. However, doubts regarding the success of the project arose, the investors began to back away and Tesla was forced to abandon his undertakings.
In 1917 he was awarded the Edison Medal, which was the highest honor in electrical engineering in the United States. Throughout his life he wrote several books, such as My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla, The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla and Inventions, Researches and Writings of Nikola Tesla.
Tesla suffered nervous breakdowns, which reflected on his subsequent eccentric ideas, which included the application of energy to the brain to enhance intelligence, accompanied with a plan to saturate poor-performing students with electricity, and the building of a powerful “death beam” or directed-energy weapon that caught the authorities’ attention.
Tesla died on January 7, 1943, aged 86 in New York City, in the hotel room where he had been living for over 10 years.
Notable Inventions
Alternating Current: This form of power generation, transmission and distribution revolutionized the world. Its establishment as the new standard in power systems was rough, as it had to compete with Edison’s Direct Current systems, who waged a relentless war against him.
Radio: Originally credited to competitor Guglielmo Marconi, was later determined to be a result of Tesla’s experimentation, and is to this day a widely used form of communication.
X-Ray Technology: Though Wilhem Rontgen’s is credited for the discovery of X-Ray’s, it is believed that Tesla inadvertently captured an X-Ray image through experiments conduct using a Crookes tube a few weeks before Rontgen’s announcement.
Induction motor: One of his earliest inventions, Tesla’s use of the magnetic field to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy through this type of motor is used in countless modern day appliances and machinery.
Remote control: He demonstrated the first model of a remote control in 1898 and called it the “teleautomaton”, exhibited at the Madison Square Garden.
Honors
The influence Nikola Tesla’s work over today’s technology and energy systems is immeasurable, and thus many honors have been given to him as a way of preserving his legacy. Among these are the establishment of a National Nikola Tesla Day in his home country Croatia (on July 10th), and many organizations, awards and places being named after him such as the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, the Nikola Tesla Museum, as well as countless plaques around the world. It should be noted that the unit used to measure magnitude of magnetic fields is called the Tesla [T].
References
Biography.com Editors. (n.d.). Nikola Tesla Biography. Retrieved from The Biography.com Website: http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443
King, G. (2013, February 4). The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla. Retrieved from Smithsonian Website: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-rise-and-fall-of-nikola-tesla-and-his-tower-11074324/?no-ist
Seifer, M., & Terbo, W. (1996). Wizard: The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla.
Vujovic, L. (1998, July 10). Tesla Biography: The Genius Who Lit the World. Retrieved from Tesla Memorial Society of New York Website: http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm
Whipps, H. (2014, May 29). Nikola Tesla: Biography, Inventions and Quotes. Retrieved from Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/45950-nikola-tesla-biography.html
