Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is regarded as one of the most brilliant inventors in history. His work provided the basis for the modern alternating current power system, as well as having developed both radio and the fluorescent light bulb. He worked with Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse, among others. He was also widely misunderstood by his peers and the public at large.

Biography

Nikola Tesla was born in a small town called Smiljan, in what is now Croatia, during a lightning storm. Some would say that this would prove significant later in his life. He grew up the son of a Serbian Orthodox Reverend, and was one of five children. He was an avid reader, and would often memorize entire books.

He studied electrical engineering at Graz Politechnic in Graz, Austria. He then moved to Budapest to work for the American Telephone Company in 1881. He then moved to Yugoslavia, where he became chief engineer to that country's first telephone system. Later he moved to Paris to work for the Continental Edison Company. While there, he developed devices that used rotating magnetic fields, for which he later received patents.

In 1884, he moved to the United States, and was able to obtain employment from Thomas Edison. While there, Edison offered Tesla $50,000 if he could solve several serious problems the company was having. After spending a year working it all out (and developing several patentable ideas for the company along the way), Edison reneged on the deal claiming it was a joke. He offered Tesla a $10 per week raise instead. Tesla resigned immediately. This experience would color Tesla's relationships later.

He next formed a company, the Tesla Electric Light & Manufactoring. Unfortunately, his investors disagreed with his plans for developin...

... middle of paper ...

... something to do with some kind of super technology. He is often cited in works of speculative fiction as an originator of strange theories and fantastical devices. Conspiracy theorists also bring his Unified Field Theory into their writings, stating that the work was taken by the secret cabals that control everything. As some of Tesla's work vanished after his death into the hands of the FBI, the truth or falsity of this idea cannot be determined.

Conclusions

Nikola tesla was a brilliant scientist and researcher, eager to discover new things. He was unwilling to accept that something could not be done, and his career was filled with examples of his discoveries that did just that.

References

Carlson, W. B. Inventor of Dreams. Scientific American. March 2005. Vol. 292

Issue 3, p78-85

Jonnes, J., Inventor, American Heritage, Oct2003, Vol. 54 Issue 5, p44-45