Serbian physicist, engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla was an important scientist, known for designing the alternating current (AC) electrical system, the dominant electrical system used in the world today. He managed to impress scientists with his unique ideas, which he put forward as a talent far beyond his era. He has passed through both success and difficulties in his life, and finally completed the rest of his life in a small hotel room in New York. Let’s take a look at the amazing life story of Nicola Tesla together.
We can’t even imagine a world without electricity. Today, there are many genius names behind the electrical system that provides us with benefits and comfort in every aspect of our life. Many scientists such as Ampere, Maxwell, Lenz, Ohm, Herz and Volta have made great discoveries on electric and magnetic fields, conduction of electricity etc. But for Nikola Tesla, we can call him the pioneer of this field.
Nikola Tesla, born in 1856, had a strong memory. He did not forget anything he had seen, heard, or read. It is said that the inventor got his intelligence and memory from his mother, since his mother was a woman who could invent even small household appliances to facilitate household works. His father, on the other hand, had an intellectual personality and led Tesla to develop a different mental practice in this direction. Even as a child, Nicola Tesla could memorize all the books he read and did not forget logarithmic tables. He learned languages easily and could work for days and nights with only a few hours of sleep.
His success in school and his interest in experimenting with mechanical devices also shaped Tesla’s education. With the support of his mother, young Tesla began studying Electrical Engineering at the Graz Polytechnic Institute in Austria. While Tesla was still a student, he began to think about the possibilities of alternating current (AC) electricity. In the future, he would do revolutionary work in this field.
After spending 3 years at the Graz Polytechnic Institute, Tesla stopped attending classes and began to chart his own path. He first went to Prague and did various studies at Karl-Ferdinand University for about 1 year. After that, he moved to Budapest, where he took part in various projects of the Continental Edison Company. He spent some time in Paris and Strasbourg for this company. Tesla went to New York in 1884 and helped develop and design many new inventions such as the arc lighting most common in street lamps. After a very difficult period here, he returned to AC experiments by founding the Tesla Electric Company. One of the greatest contributions of Nicola Tesla to modern electrical systems was electrical energy, which is characterized as alternating current or simply “AC”. Nicola Tesla argued that AC is much more efficient and less costly than the more common direct current (DC) electricity. Thanks to the works he has done in this field, he has also managed to get a large number of patents in 2 years. Tesla met with Western Union representative Alfred Brown and New York lawyer Charles Peck to obtain financial support. With this support, Tesla has managed to develop an induction motor powered by alternating current (AC). This revolutionary engine, unlike similar engines of that era, did not require constant maintenance and service.
Groundbreaking innovations such as wireless power electrical coils, radio remote control, and even x-ray technology, including the AC electrical power distribution system, have all Tesla’s signature on them.
This success has attracted George Westinghouse, an entrepreneur and an engineer. Westinghouse wanted Tesla’s sustainable motors to help develop the AC power distribution system. Tesla and Westinghouse have signed a licensing agreement that gives Westinghouse the rights to the AC generator and induction motor for stock and royalties. He was then hired by Westinghouse as a full-time consultant at Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing, Pittsburgh. Tesla’s work was exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and he collaborated with George Westinghouse to sponsor “The Illuminated City,” showcasing the impact electric lighting would have on the world.
Tesla’s unrealized dream was to bring free and wireless electrical power to the world.
This idea consisted of constructing a huge tower that would create a huge magnetic field that would surround the earth and capture electrical energy that would be used in homes and workplaces with an “antenna”. This, of course, was technologically impossible then.
Considering the superiority of Tesla’s inventions, he has faced attacks several times. However, this did not leave him without designing electrical devices that will contribute to the development and prosperity of humanity. Tesla went on to create groundbreaking innovations and inventions such as wireless power electrical coils, radio remote control, and even x-ray technology. Many of Tesla’s inventions are still in popular use today, including the AC electric power distribution system, which is the standard for electricity distribution.
In 1916, the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) awarded Tesla the “Edison Medal”. However, Tesla, who experienced financial difficulties, especially after his first patents expired, spent rest of his life alone in a hotel room in New York until he died in 1943.
