THE LIFE OF NIKOLA TESLA

By Paul Loupe

Created 11/7/13

Born July 10, 1856.

Died January 7, 1943

Hometown of Smiljan, Croatia.

Parents were father Milutin and Mother Djuka.

Had three sisters: Milka, Angelina, and Marica.

Only brother was Dane.

GENERAL/ FAMILIAL INFORMATION

CHILDHOOD

Nikola, or “Niko”, spent much of his early childhood in his father’s library. His father, Milutin, was a gifted writer and poet as well as being an Orthodox priest. Niko’s mother was a crafty and hard worker at home who invented many things to help around the house. Tesla’s dreams of invention began at a young age, when he imagined a giant water wheel harnessing the energy of Niagara Falls. He was also a genius by age 15, performing integral calculus in his mind.

SCHOOLING

Nikola completed his elementary education in Smiljan. He dreamed of becoming an engineer. However, his father had other plans. Milutin wanted Nikola to become a priest, just like him. At seventeen, Nikola contracted cholera. His father promised Nikola that if he survived, he would be permitted to attend the renowned Austrian Polytechnic School at Graz to study engineering. Obviously, Tesla survived. When attending the school, Tesla spoke about his ideas. They were laughed at, however. The teachers claimed they were merely science fiction.

AMERICA

After attending the Polytechnic Institute, as well as the University of Prague, Tesla came to the United States of America. In 1884, he began working with famed Thomas Edison. They soon, however, parted ways due to their opposite personalities. He was very poor, however. That is, until A.K. Brown invested in Tesla’s revolutionary idea for an Alternating Current or AC motor turned Tesla’s life around.

SUCCESS

In 1887 Tesla filed for several patents for AC motors and power transmissions. They had in them a full system of transformers, transmission lines, generators, motors, and lighting. Industrialist George Westinghouse bought the patents from Tesla. Nikola, having earned a large sum of money, improved upon his laboratory. However, his former contemporary Thomas Edison had other ideas.

THOMAS EDISON

With the development of Tesla’s AC motor, Edison began to see Nikola as a threat to his own method of transmitting electricity, Direct Current or DC motors. He launched a full-scale industrial battle against alternating current. Edison even electrocuted and killed dogs and horses using Alternating Current to show how dangerous it was. Sadly, Thomas Edison won the propaganda war against Tesla with his better business sense. Edison set the progress of electricity back by two decades with his inferior DC electricity.

OLD AGE

Throughout old age, Nikola continued to challenge existing scientists. At 81, he contradicted Einstein’s theory of relativity, writing his own theory of gravity. In 1943 (Aged 86 years), Tesla had completed a prototype of his fearful “Death Ray”, and offered it to the US War Department. Quite mysteriously after, his body was found three days later. He did not, however, die a noble death. He died of heart failure in a shabby hotel.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_early.html

http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443

PICTURE CREDITShttp://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTFLj5inUd0XG9LKDMqCt-gmHOYoG6Kh4J9Nr9F3U4DyChOz_W:upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/N.Tesla.JPG

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