Nikola Tesla

A Biography of Nikola Tesla My entrepreneur of choice for this assignment was Nikola Tesla, a genius inventor and businessman who lived during the nineteenth and twentieth century. He is credited with several inventions and patents, most of which are still used today and paved the way for other breakthroughs in a number of scientific and mathematical fields. Nikola Tesla and his inventions have truly shaped the way America uses electricity. Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia. At the time, Smiljan was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and Tesla was considered Serbian. In his later years, he would come to have an American citizenship. Tesla was born to Djuka Mandic and Milutin Tesla, and was one of five children.

Edison was a big champion for the DC (direct current) model of electricity, and all his power plants used it. The problem with DC, however, was that it was difficult to change the voltage of, was hard to transport over long distances, and was quite expensive. There are records of Edison lamenting this problem to Tesla, and betting him that if he could fix this problem he would give Tesla $50,000. Tesla, taking it seriously, did improve Edison’s systems over months of experimentation; when he presented his solution, Edison told Tesla that, “[You] don’t understand our American humor.” Miffed, Tesla quit, and thus the rivalry between Edison and Tesla was born. After that, Tesla began his own company, called the Tesla Electric and Manufacturing Company. With the backing of J.P. Morgan and Westinghouse, he developed and sold his patents for his AC electrical systems, which solved many of the problems of DC

His inventions, patents, and research are all still used today, and can be accredited for revolutionizing the electrical industry, and even the way America is supplied electricity. He made groundbreaking strides in a variety of scientific fields, and pioneered even more that no one had ever dreamed about before. He is immortalized today by memorials, plaques, pop culture and biographies, and other awards and inventions named in his honour. Museums around the world are dedicated to his brilliance, and many of the places he frequented and lived in have been made historical sites. To me, Nikola Tesla was a great man and a role model. The story of his life inspires me to work harder, achieve higher, and to make my own path. I view his intelligence, hard work, and endurance as admirable traits, and I hope one day to be just as driven and determined as he was. He truly revolutionized the way we see electricity, and was indeed, a genius who lit the