In this article, you will learn more about the life and achievements of Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest inventors and visionaries in history. You will learn more about his groundbreaking inventions, the background of his discoveries and his extraordinary life. You may even be inspired to embark on your own journey of scientific discovery.
| Born | 10 July 1856 |
| Died | 7 January 1943 |
| Known for | - Alternating current
- Transformer
- Three-phase motor
- Wireless energy transmission
|
Nikola Tesla: Biography
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist. He was born in 1856 in what is now Croatia and emigrated to the United States in 1884 to work with Thomas Edison. Tesla is best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system, which remains the global standard to this day.
The Early Life of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was born on 10 July 1856 in what is now Croatia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Milutin Tesla, was a Serbian Orthodox priest and his mother, Đuka Mandić, was known for her ability to build and repair complex mechanical devices. Tesla's interest in science and invention was sparked at a young age.
Despite her talents with mechanical devices and her impressive ability to build and repair complex devices, Tesla's mother, Đuka Mandić, could neither read nor write.
Study years and early career
Tesla attended the Technical University in Graz, Austria, where he studied mathematics, physics and mechanics. There he was particularly inspired by the lectures on electrical engineering. He then transferred to the University of Prague, but was unable to complete his studies due to financial difficulties.
After his studies, Tesla worked in various European companies, including the Budapest Telephone Exchange and the Continental Edison Company in Paris. In these positions, he devoted himself to improving electrical equipment and made a name for himself as a talented engineer. During his time in Paris, Tesla also developed his first ideas on the alternating current (AC) system, which would later become his most famous achievement.
In Budapest, Tesla worked on an invention that is considered the forerunner of the modern loudspeaker. He called this device the "telephone", a kind of electromechanical device for transmitting speech and music.
Fig. 1. Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943). Aged 34.
In 1884, Tesla moved to the United States to further his career. Shortly after arriving in New York City, he got a job in Thomas Edison's laboratory. There he worked on improving Edison's direct current systems and was able to gain important experience. However, disagreements arose between Tesla and Edison, especially regarding the superiority of alternating current over direct current. These differences sparked the "Electricity War" and ultimately led to Tesla leaving the company and going into business for himself.
The so-called "Electricity War" was a major conflict between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison that took place in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The core of the conflict was over which type of electricity was best for electrical power transmission and distribution: direct current (DC), as propagated by Edison, or alternating current (AC), as developed and supported by Tesla.
Edison, who was already successful as an inventor and entrepreneur, had advocated the direct current system. He believed that direct current was safer and easier to control. His company, the Edison Electric Light Company, had already installed DC grids in several cities and Edison wanted to build on this success.
Tesla, on the other hand, believed that alternating current (AC) was more efficient and cost-effective for power transmission and distribution. Alternating current made it possible to easily raise or lower the voltage using transformers, which facilitated transmission over long distances and minimised energy loss. After Tesla left Edison's company, he worked with George Westinghouse to further develop and spread the alternating current system.
The "Electricity War" was characterised by intense competition, propaganda and public demonstrations in which both Edison and Tesla tried to prove the advantages of their respective systems. Edison tried to portray alternating current as dangerous and unreliable by, among other things, performing public electrocutions of animals with alternating current. Tesla, on the other hand, demonstrated the safety and efficiency of alternating current through spectacular demonstrations in which he himself allowed high voltages to flow through his body without suffering any damage.
The rise of Nikola Tesla
In the following years, Tesla worked on developing and improving his alternating current technology, which eventually attracted the attention of George Westinghouse. This led to a collaboration between the two men and the formation of the Tesla Electric Company, which would commercialise Tesla's inventions. Through this partnership, Tesla was able to materialise his groundbreaking ideas in electrical engineering and turn his vision of more efficient and sustainable power transmission into reality.
The Death of Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla died on 7 January 1943 in his room in a cheap hotel in New York. He died alone and in debt, as by that time his name had fallen into obscurity. His colleague George Westinghouse had been paying his hotel room for a while before his passing.
Nikola Tesla and Pigeons
As many men considered genuises, Nikola Tesla was not only revolutionary, but also quite eccentric. Among some of his most bewildering traits was his love of pigeons. Tesla was a germophobe, but that didn't seem to bother him when it came to pigeons.
Tesla would routinely feed the pigeons in the parks of New York and would take home those that were injured to nurse them back to health. He would also leave the windows of his hotel room open so that pigeons could come and go as they wished.
But from among all the pigeons, there was one very special white pigeon with whom Tesla reportedly fell in love. He is thought to have said:
I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.
Tesla never married, because he thought that intimacy and marriage would take away from his scientific endeavours. His love, the white pigeon, died in his arms, at which point Tesla believed that his life work was over.
Nikola Tesla: Inventions
Nikola Tesla's work revolved mostly around electricity. In this field he developed extremely valuable technologies, like alternating current, the transformer and the three-phase motor, wireless energy transmission and the radio.
Alternating current (AC)
One of Tesla's most significant contributions to electrical engineering was the development of alternating current (AC). Unlike direct current (DC), which only flows in one direction, alternating current constantly changes direction. This makes it possible to transmit energy more efficiently and over greater distances. Tesla's alternating current system was the decisive factor in the "Electricity War" against Edison, whose direct current system was eventually displaced by alternating current.
When George Westinghouse heard about Tesla's alternating current system, he immediately recognised its potential and acquired the rights to Tesla's alternating current patents for 60,000 US dollars and ongoing royalties.
The transformer and the three-phase motor
Another of Tesla's great achievements was the invention of the transformer and the three-phase motor. The transformer allows electrical voltages to be increased or decreased, which is essential for efficient power transmission. The three-phase motor, also known as the induction motor, is one of the fundamental technologies in electrical engineering and is still used in many industries today.
Wireless energy transmission
Nikola Tesla also experimented with wireless power transmission, a technology with the ability to transmit electrical power without physical connections. His work led to the development of the Tesla coil, an electrical resonant transformer that can generate electromagnetic fields and transmit power wirelessly. This technology is still the basis for wireless charging of electronic devices today.
Radio
Although Tesla did not directly invent radio, his work in wireless communications was crucial to the development of this technology. Tesla held numerous patents in the field of wireless communication, influencing the creation of radio as we know it today.
Nikola Tesla: Awards
In recognition of his accomplishments, Nikola Tesla received many awards and honors during his lifetime:
- Edison Medal by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (1917) for his contributions to the development of alternating current power systems.
- Inventors Hall of Fame induction (1975)
- The unit of magnetic flux density was named the "tesla" in his honor (1984).
- Numerous schools, buildings, and museums have been named after him to recognize his contributions to science and technology.
Additionally, Nikola Tesla was awarded the 1912 Nobel Prize for Physics, together with Thomas Edison. However, because of their feud, Tesla rejected the prize, which was then awarded to Nils Gustaf Dalén.
Nikola Tesla: Facts
Here are a few facts about Nikola Tesla that you probably did not known:
- Tesla was a polyglot who spoke eight languages, including Serbo-Croatian, English, French, German, and Italian.
- Tesla was vegetarian.
- Tesla presumably suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and was known for his quirks, including a fear of germs and a love of pigeons.
- Tesla was a supporter of renewable, free energy sources.
- Tesla was known for his eidetic memory, which meant he could recall entire books and images in his mind with extreme accuracy.
Nikola Tesla - Key takeaways
- Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Croacia (then the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and died in 1943 in the USA.
- Nikola Tesla is most known for inventing alternating current. He also invented the transformer, the three-phase motor and wireless energy transmission.
- Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison worked together, but fell out later and competed about what type of current was best, direct or alternating current (Electricity War).
References
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-rise-and-fall-of-nikola-tesla-and-his-tower-11074324/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CYes%2C%20it%20was%20a%20real,had%20finished%20his%20life's%20work.
- https://www.britannica.com/story/nikola-teslas-weird-obsession-with-pigeons#:~:text=Tesla's%20acquaintances%20found%20his%20passion,woman%2C%20and%20she%20loved%20me.
- https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1912/summary/
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