Nikola Tesla was a great forward-thinking Serbian-American scientist, an environmentalist, a humanist, and inventor who made important contributions to physics, engineering and the future of mankind. He is best known for his work with electricity, including the design of alternating current (AC) electricity. He also had a flair for the dramatic, creating elaborate experiments and showcasing his work with spectacular demonstrations. Here are some quotes, information, and interesting facts about Nikola Tesla.
Interesting facts about Nikola Tesla
1. The Inventor of AC current
As a boy, Tesla saw a likeness of Niagra Falls and dreamed of harnessing the power of the water to create electricity. In 1893, he succeeded in doing just that Nikola Tesla once talked of death rays that could destroy 10,000 airplanes at a distance of 250 miles. However, Tesla invented the Alternative Current (A.C.) system that we use in our homes today.
2. War of the currents
Tesla, Edison, and Westinghouse were at so-called ‘war of the currents’ between alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) as a means of distributing electrical power.
3. Tesla Proposed the idea of smartphone technology in 1901.
Nikola Tesla developed the idea of smartphone technology. In 1901, Tesla described to his business partner, J.P. Morgan, a new means of instant communication that involved gathering stock quotes and telegram messages, funneling them to his laboratory, where he would encode them and assign them each a new frequency.
That frequency would be broadcast to a device that would fit in your hand.
4. Invested all money into experiments for future
As he said, “Money does not represent such a value as men have placed upon it. All my money has been invested into experiments with which I have made new discoveries enabling mankind to have a little easier life.”
According to Alcorn (The president of Tesla Science Center ), “he did what he did for the sake of the betterment of mankind and wanted to give people an opportunity to have a better quality of life. Thus, he never seemed to care about monetary gain and never had enough money for his research.”
5. Tesla built a tower intending to suck electricity out of the air
One of the most Interesting facts about Nikola Tesla is he built an 185-foot tower known as ”Wardenclyffe Tower” at his lab on Long Island, N.Y., planning to suck electricity out of the air and send it through the earth (Wireless power transmission). Sadly, the project was not completed or failed. The U.S. government blew up Tesla’s tower at his Long Island lab because they thought German spies were using it for espionage during World War I.
6. Many of Tesla’s inventions were classified by the U.S. government.
When Tesla died in 1943, the Office of Alien Property took his belongings, Alcorn said. Most of his things were later released to his family, and many ended up in the Tesla Museum in Belgrade, which opened in the 1950s. But some of Tesla’s papers are still classified by the U.S. government.
7. Tesla may have invented the wireless radio, not Marconi.
Tesla went on to patent many of his inventions, including his AC induction motor and transformer which he licensed to George Westinghouse. Marconi used many of Tesla’s patents for his first radio. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned Marconi’s patent, ruling that Tesla’s patent had priority.
8. He was a Child of light
Nikola Tesla was born during a fierce lightning storm. Midway through the birth, the midwife declared the lightning a bad omen. This child will be a child of darkness, she said, to which his mother replied: “No. He will be a child of light.”
In 1899, Nikola sent waves of energy through the Earth, thus providing the theory for earthquake seismic stations. By adding electricity to the returning energy he created the largest man-made lightning bolt ever recorded (130 feet). The accompanying thunder was heard 22 miles away and created a blue glow around the meadow outside his Colorado laboratory.
9. Tesla had a strong capacity for memory
Tesla recited entire books from memory and designed his machines in his head, rather than on paper. He was also frequently ridiculed for proposing “impossible” inventions … which he then went and invented anyway.
10. The man who invented the 20th century
The motors I build there were exactly as I imagined them. I made no attempt to improve the design but merely reproduced the pictures as they appeared to my vision and the operation was always as I expected. ” – Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla is known as “The man who invented the 20th century.” His use of alternating electrical currents and invention of the AC engine brought revolutionary changes in electrical power generation and transmission that remain the global standard today.
Extra: Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, donated $1 million to help rebuild Tesla’s Wardenclyffe lab.