Nikola Tesla Biography

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When one hears the name Nikola Tesla, the idea of a great inventor usually does not pop into one’s head instantaneously. In fact, in most cases the person doesn’t know who that is. Nikola Tesla, the protégé of Thomas Edison, was a remarkable scientist who improved the science of mechanical and electrical engineering diligently up until his death, where he began to be forgotten by those who study electrical and mechanical engineering. He invented many things, including the induction motor and the AC current. Tesla was known by many journalists and media as the stereotypical “mad scientist” up until his death in 1946. Tesla was born the fourth child to Milutin and Duka Tesla. His father, Milutin, was a Serbian priest; and his mother was a housewife who built her own mechanical eggbeater and also had a knack for being able to memorize and recite Serbian epic poems. Tesla was born on July 10th, 1856 in Smiljan; a village in the Austrian Empire. Tesla’s eldest brother, Dane, was killed when Tesla was five, either due to a horseback riding incident or by being pushed down the cellar stairs by Nikola as Dane accused as he lie delirious in the hospital. Because of Dane’s death, Tesla was slated to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a pastor. The family moved to Gospic, a town in the Austrian Empire in 1862. Tesla excelled in primary school, being able to calculate integral calculus completely in his head; much to the disbelief of his teachers. In 1873 he finished his four year term in three. After returning home from school, Tesla contracted cholera which worried his father. Tesla saw this as an opportunity to coerce his father to rescind his plans for Tesla to enter the priesthood and made his father promise that if Te... ... middle of paper ... ...periencing fainting spells. On the first of January he complained of chest pains while conducting an experiment and returned to his hotel where he lived. The last time he was seen alive was by a hotel maid on the fifth, the night he made his phone call to the Secretary of Defense. On January 12th, 1943 over two thousand people gathered at Saint John the Theologian’s cathedral to honor the great engineer. Tesla brought several innovations into this world, most famously his alternating current and Tesla coil, but his mind was one of the most innovative and intelligent of his era. He went beyond the normal thoughts and mindsets of the 19th century, and produced scientific marvels such as the Wardenclyffe tower. He was a man of many talents and skills, and spent out his last days at the New York Public Library, feeding the pigeons who he called “my sincere friends”.

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