The Life and Inventions of Nikola Tesla

The human mind is an incredible thing, capable of speech, imagination, critical thinking and thought. When we think of the historic minds of the world, we think of the brilliance of Einstein or Isaac Newton. But for the actual discoveries that are the basics for the technology we used every day that was Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla was the most intelligent and he had the rarest mind of all. He is the inventor of the alternating current electric system and he also invented the tesla coil which is now used for radio technology. This research paper will consist of Nikola Tesla’s early life, altercations, his education, his jobs and his inventions.

On July 10th, 1856 in Smiljan, Croatia The child of Milutin and Djuka Tesla was born during a lightning storm. People thought that Tesla’s birth was an ill omen by a midwife, Tesla’s mother did not agree she said “He will be a child of light.”(Gunderman) shockingly she was correct. He was one of five children, his siblings were Angelina, Marica, Dane and Milka. Tesla’s father wanted for his son to join the priesthood like he did but Tesla only had an interest for science. Tesla’s mother was brilliant too she created household items to use around the house, her creative thinking influenced her son. Tesla’s brother Dane died when he was little, this took a huge toll on 5-year-old tesla. Afterwards Tesla said he was seeing visions, this was a sign of his lifelong illness Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Tesla memorized books, spoke many languages and visualized project and ideas. In his early years of school he mainly studied German, math and religion. Later on he solely focused on science, he moved from his family so he could attend Higher Real Gymnasium. Teachers thought he was cheating because he could calculate and solve math problems in his head and because of his photographic memory. He could do calculus only using his mind so he performed very well at this school. While attending this school he was introduced to electricity and he was fascinated by it, instead of four years he graduated in three. In 1874 he was recruited into the military, he didn't want to serve so he ran away to a mountain region and disguised himself as a hunter. In 1875 he began studying science at Austria Polytechnic, at this school he showed everyone how talented and hard-working he was. Tesla later on found a pile of letters from Austria Polytechnic stating that he was working a little too much. Every morning he would wake up at 3 am and wouldn't go to bed till 11 pm. After his first year he passed double the amount of exams he needed to and had the highest grades there we’re. His second year at Austria Polytechnic didn't go well, he lost his scholarship. Afterwards he started gambling, he lost his tuition money and he was not prepared when final exams came. He never took the exams and he never graduated, he wouldn't tell his family that he didn't graduate so he ran away to Maribor and became a draftsman.

Tesla’s father found out the truth about his education, he asked for him to come home but Tesla said no. He was forced home because he was arrested for lack of residence permit. For a year he was a teacher, but his family wanted him to go back to school. They used all their funds to send him to Prague, when he got there it was too late to enroll and he was missing requirements to enroll. So Prague was successful, by 1881 Tesla he found a job as an electrical engineer with the Central Telephone Company in Budapest. One day walking through a park with a co-worker Tesla got a vision on how to build an induction motor.

Thomas Edison had launched a company called Edison Company, Tesla got a job at the Continental Edison Company installing lighting. Then he was in charge of designing and troubleshooting, next he was recruited to travel to America to work directly for Thomas Edison. He worked on installing lights and building an electric utility, Tesla said “I came from Paris in the Spring of 1884, and was brought in intimate contact with him [Thomas Edison]. We experimented day and night, holidays not excepted. His existence was made up of alternate periods of work and sleep in the laboratory. He had no hobby, cared for no sport or amusement of any kind and lived in utter disregard of the most elementary rules of hygiene. There can be no doubt that, if he had not married later a woman of exceptional intelligence, who made it the one object of her life to preserve him, he would have died many years ago from consequences of sheer neglect. So great and uncontrollable was his passion for work”. This was ironic to me because in Tesla’s first year of college he was a non-stop worker. One night Tesla was out all night working, Edison found out and Tesla earned Edison’s respect. Edison and Tesla disagreed over alternating current and direct current. Tesla and Edison also had different approaches to science and businesses, Edison was more about money and Tesla was more focused on the scientific invention. Edison asked for Tesla to fix all the problems with motors, Tesla fixed all the problems he made the new motors more simple and reliable. Edison ripped off Tesla and says “Mr. Tesla, you do not understand our American humor.” Tesla left Edison’s company only being there for six months.

After being cheated by Edison, Tesla decided to join the electric revolution with research on alternating current, or AC. In search of financing to support alternating current, he got a job digging ditches for two dollars a day to get to his goal. He then got a partnership with Westinghouse the competitor of Edison. Tesla’s AC system had thin wires, higher voltages and could transmit electricity long distances unlike Edison’s DC. At the world fair in 1893 Tesla shot electric current through his own body to produce light. As time passed AC popularity increased and Tesla became a star. Tesla got the attention of the FBI and Soviet Union because he was making a powerful death ray. At the age of 86 Tesla died of coronary thrombosis on January 7, 1943.

In conclusion Nikola Tesla was a lifelong contributor to science and technology. He influenced the way we live today in many ways from the radio, x-ray and hydro-electricity. The legacy of tesla’s work lives on till this day, he is one of the most revolutionary inventors the world has ever seen. Even though he had astonishing innovation he shadowed Edison and Marconi, Tesla was a genius ahead of his time! His advancements in technology transformed the world. Tesla’s legacy transcends his brilliant achievements and vision in the fields of engineering and science, he is an inspiration who work very hard but barely gets recognised.