Nikola Tesla was a Serbian American inventor and is considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest scientists and inventors. Tesla’s enemies call him a madman, others call him a genius, but he is an enigma to almost everyone.
Tesla was a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, and a futurist known for his contribution to the modern Alternating Current (AC) electricity, when the world was still lit by a candle, over a hundred years ago.
Nikola Tesla’s inventions and discoveries
Nikola Tesla introduced the fundamentals of computers, robotics, and missile science. He led the primary research of x-rays, influenced the modern transistor, and built the first hydro electric plant at Niagara Falls. He is the father of radio astronomy and the first person to record radio waves from outer space. He discovered the resonance frequency of the earth and built an earthquake machine.
In 1890, Tesla discovered the ball lightning, a lightning that travels in the form of a sphere and travels slowly just a few feet below the ground. He discovered the rotating magnetic field and demonstrated how a copper egg can stand on end.
Nikola Tesla discovered wireless communication in1899. During the 1900s, Tesla began working with the full-size prototype of a worldwide broadcasting station, but the project was demolished during the WWI.
Nikola Tesla dreamt of a better world and pioneered the use of ozone for water treatment. In 1898, and he designed the unique fuel burning rotary engine. He also announced his invention of a teleautomatic boat guided by remote control during the same year.
Tesla discovered neon lighting, modern electric motor, and the terrestrial stationary wave. Nikola Tesla was known to have photographic memory. He could memorize an entire book and recite it at will. He spoke English, Serbian, French, German, Czech, Italian, Hungarian and Latin.
In 1917, Tesla came up with the idea of a Radar. One of Tesla’s final gifts to the world was the tower near New York City that could provide wireless energy.
Nikola Tesla claimed to have invented the death beam or death ray, which he called teleforce in the 1930s. This technology was never used, but it led to the science fiction concept of a raygun.
Tesla’s study of the high voltage and frequency alternating current has led to the development of vacuum tubes, which were used in medical applications like the development of X-ray and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging. One of his tubes was recognized as the forerunner of the modern-day electron microscope.
Life and death
Nikola Tesla was born on 10 July 1856, in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia). In 1882, he worked for Continental Edison Company in France to make improvements to electric equipment. In 1884, he relocated to New York and worked for Edison in simple electrical engineering jobs. In 1886, Tesla formed his own company, Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing.
Tesla obtained about 300 patents for his inventions but many of the inventions he developed were at no time put to patent protection. Nicola Tesla never married and was 86 when he died of coronary thrombosis on January 7, 1943 in Hotel New Yorker, New York City.
His papers, diploma, honors, letters, and laboratory notes were inherited by his nephew, Sava Kosanovich, and were later housed in the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
The Oatmeal did a great comic on Nikola Tesla: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla
Related articles
1 Comment
To correct your article;
His “Nephew” (who has not been confirmed to actually be that), did not inherit his belongings. They were confiscated by the FBI who refused to hand these items over citing National Security. As recorded by the FBI 80 trunks that were among Tesla’s belongings were given to Dr John Trump (Donald Trumps Uncle) for investigation. Only 60 trunks were given to the Museum.
Dr Trump said everything in most of the trunks was only Speculative, and of no consequence.
By strange circumstance Dr Trump who had never filed for any Patents in his lifetime, applied for several in the field of X-ray technology just a few short years after having access to Tesla’s belongings. Tesla was so far ahead of others in this discovery that he realized the possibility of health issues related to x-rays. Tesla himself is not credited with discovering X-rays because he didn’t file for it. However his dated journals show he had discovered x-ray in 1884, and the man credited filed in 1885.
Sorry for such a long comment, however I hold a high regard for who I consider IMHO to be one of the worlds greatest scientist.
Regards,
John Serra