Who Is Nikola Tesla?

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2. Who Is Nikola Tesla?

Nikola Tesla was a scientist and inventor who specialised in working with
electricity.
He made some of the most important contributions to physics and engineering.
He had many amazing ideas for inventions but his peers thought he was crazy
and many of them were never built. His work paved the way for many of the
technological devices we use every day.

3. Early Life

Nikola Tesla was born on 10th July 1856 in Smiljanm, Croatia.
His mother was a scientist and his father was a priest.
He started training to follow in his father’s footsteps; however, he had an
enormous passion for science and followed in his mother’s footsteps instead.
He went to the University of Prague to study science and then worked for the
Central Telephone Exchange in Budapest.

4. Tesla and Edison

At the age of 28, Tesla decided to move to America because of his desire to make
new inventions.
When he arrived, Tesla began working with the famous inventor, Thomas Edison
(the inventor of the light bulb).
While working together, they had a huge disagreement over
the type of electricity to use. Tesla wanted to use
Alternating Current (AC) which could travel through wiring
over long distances and Edison wanted to use Direct
Current (DC) which could only travel short distances.
This disagreement eventually grew very bitter and Tesla
left to found his own company, the Tesla Electric Light
Company.

5. Tesla Electric Light Company

Tesla’s new company caught the attention of another inventor, George
Westinghouse. They started working together in the hope of generating electricity
for the whole of America. They were now in direct competition with Edison and
they became rivals.
At the World’s Columbian Exposition (a
fair to showcase new inventions) in
Chicago, Tesla’s AC electrical system
was chosen over Edison’s DC system,
which was a massive accomplishment.
Despite this, the company fell into
financial trouble and Tesla had to sell
his patent for his AC system and walk
away from the partnership with
Westinghouse.

6. Later Life

In his later years, Nikola Tesla had mental health problems. He claimed to have
invented a way of photographing thoughts, a motor that ran on energy rays from
space and a ‘death ray’ for military use.
He ended up penniless and moving
from place to place, leaving behind
unpaid bills wherever he went.
Eventually, he settled in a New York
hotel where his rent was paid by his
old partner, George Westinghouse.
Nikola Tesla died on 7th January
1943, aged 86.

7. Legacy

Nikola Tesla is now remembered as being one of the greatest scientific minds in
history.
His inventions and ideas paved the way for much of today’s essential technology,
such as:
Remote controls
Radio
X-rays
Radar technology
Wireless technology
Electric motors
Lasers

8. Amazing Inventions!

In 1896, Tesla created the world’s first hydroelectric power plant in Buffalo, New
York. This created energy using a water-powered generator.
After experimenting with radio waves
in his laboratory, Tesla started
construction of a “Wireless
Broadcasting System tower” on Long
Island, New York. He hoped to use it to
connect telephone services as well as
broadcasting images, news reports and
weather information around the world.
Unfortunately, the man financing the construction, JP Morgan, cut his funding
and the tower was sold off.

9. Amazing Inventions!

Tesla was always a showman and was
well known for his high-voltage
experiments. His invention, the Tesla
coil, is probably his most well-known
project.
Intended to be a power source, the
Tesla coil is now more of a stunning
showpiece to delight those who see it
running.

10. Fun Facts!

Nikola Tesla had a photographic memory. He
memorised whole books and was able to speak
eight languages!
Nikola rarely planned or designed an invention
on paper. He just built what he saw in his head.
He had a fear of pearls! His fear was so bad that he would refuse
to speak to any women wearing them.
His favourite animal was a pigeon.
The unit of measurement for magnetic fields is
the Tesla.
Tesla cars are named after Nikola Tesla because
of his research on the electric motor.