Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was born on 10 July 1856 in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (present day - Croatia). His father Milutin Tesla was the priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church. His mother, Duka Mandic used to make different tools and mechanical appliances at home. Tesla credited his photographic memory to his mother's genetics. Tesla had four other siblings, two elder sister and two brothers - one older and one younger. He lost his elder brother in an accident when he was just five years old. 

Tesla attended his primary school in Smiljan in 1861 where he was taught German, arithmetic and religion. In 1870, after completing his primary school and middle school in Gospic city, he moved to Karlovac city to attend high school. He got admitted to Higher Real Gymnasium. There he was impressed by experiments related to electricity by his physics professor. He termed electricity as 'mysterious phenomenon' and wanted to know more about this 'wonderful force'. He finished his four year term in three years only. He was able to solve integral calculus in mind itself which made his teachers believe that he was cheating. 

Tesla's father wanted him to enter priesthood but Tesla wanted to pursue engineering. Later, he got affected by cholera and was near death many times. His father promised him that he will send him to the best engineering college as soon as he recovers. Tesla then escaped from the conscription of the Austro-Hungarian army and moved to the small village of Tomingaj. 

He then joined the Imperial-Royal Technical College in Graz in 1875 on a Military Frontier Scholarship. He passed nine exams there and earned the highest possible grades. There, he got amazed with the lectures on electricity by his professor Jakob Poschl. Tesla gave suggestions on improving the design of an electric motor the professor was demonstrating. He left Graz in 1878 when he was in third year as he started failing in school. He did not informed anyone about this. There was a rumor that he had drowned in the Mur River but soon his father found him in Maribor Town where he was working as a draftsman on 60 florins per month. 

Tesla's father had convinced him to continue his studies in Prague. Tesla returned to Gospic but his father died the next month on 17 April 1879. Tesla's two uncles financed his trip to Prague. He was too late to get admission in Charles-Ferdinand University. Also, Tesla had never studied Czech and Greek language which were compulsory there. 

In 1881, Tesla started to work under Tivadar Puskas at a telegraph company in Budapest, Hungary. He was given the post of chief electrician in Budapest Telephone exchange. He claimed to have perfected a telephone repeater or amplifier but never patented that or described publicly. In 1882, Tesla got a job in Paris in Continental Edison Company with help of Tivadar Puskas. There he gained a practical experience in electrical engineering as he was working in subdivision Societe Electrique Edison which was given the charge of installing the lighting system. He was also sent to other Edison utilities near France and Germany to troubleshoot engineering problems. 

Tesla then came to United States with Charles Batchelor. Tesla began working at the Edison Machine Works in an overcrowded shop with the responsibility of building the large electric utility in that city. According to his biography, Thomas Edison once gave him a challenge and offered him $50,000, if he was successful. When Tesla completed the task, Edison told him "Tesla, you don't understand our American humor." After working for 6 years, Tesla left the Edison Machine Works.

With the financial support given by two businessmen - Robert Lane and Benjamin Vail, Tesla was able to establish arc lighting manufacturing, the Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing. Tesla got his first patent for improved DC generator in the US. Tesla then came up with the idea of Alternating Current but it did not appealed to the investors. They abandoned Tesla's company and he became forced to work as at various electrical repair shop. In 1886, he started with the research on Alternating Current and was financed by Alfred S. Brown and Charles Fletcher Peck. They formed the Tesla Electric Company in 1887 and they opened a laboratory for him at Manhattan.

In 1887, Tesla developed induction motor that ran on Alternating Current and was patented in May 1888. This technology started expanding in Europe and United States due to less maintenance and reduce the chances of sparkling. On 16 May 1888, Tesla demonstrated his AC motor at American Institute of Electrical Engineers. There he was observed by engineers from Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company owned by George Westinghouse, who was involved in the 'war of currents' with Thomas Edison. Where Edison was promoting his DC system and on the other end, Westinghouse was promoting AC system. Westinghouse hired Tesla for one year where he was working to create and alternating system to power city' streetcars. It was found that Tesla's concept cannot work for street cars so, they used DC traction motor instead.

Tesla now opened his own laboratory in Manhattan with his own money which he earned through licensing his patents. On 30 July 1891, Tesla became a naturalized citizen of the USA. The same year, he patented his famous Tesla coil. In 1895, with the help of Edward Dean Adams, 'The Nikola Tesla Company' was set up.  The same year on 13 March, Tesla's laboratory caught fire and all his models, research materials, notes got destroyed. He did not stop there. He shifted his laboratory and started working on wireless technology. He created a remote control boat - 'Telautomaton' which he offered to the military as well.

There were rumors that Tesla was to get Nobel Prize in 1915 but this wasn't true. There had been claims that Tesla and Edison both were nominated for the prestigious award. Tesla got his last patent in 1928, for a biplane capable of vertical take-off and landing.  In 1932, he claimed that he had made a motor which runs on cosmic rays. He also claimed to create a superweapon that could end all war, naming it 'teleforce'. 

On January 7, 1943 Tesla was found dead in Hotel New York in room number 3327. He had placed a do not disturb sign on his door but ignoring that, Alice Monaghan entered his room and saw his dead body. FBI immediately asked to seize Tesla's belonging and after investigation it was concluded that there was nothing hazardous in his laboratory. Tesla's estate was transferred to Belgrade after pressure from his nephew. His ashes are in display in the Nikola Tesla Museum.

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