Most Searched For Facts About Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Most Searched for Facts about Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was an important engineer and scientist whose work affects us all today, even without us knowing it. He could almost be the archetypical ‘mad scientist’, but unfortunately he really did have mental problems, suffering more than one nervous breakdown.
His genius was almost overshadowed by his manic drive, and the conviction, often spoken out loud, that he was smarter than everyone else and his fellow scientists were sadly lacking – and this included a pubic rant about Thomas Edison.
Later, experts believed Tesla suffered from two health issues that were unknown, and therefore untreated, at the time; OCD, (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and it is thought he was also autistic, albeit a highly functioning one.
What was Tesla's greatest invention?
It is hard to know which was Tesla’s greatest invention, but probably it was the Alternating Current machine, (he sold his patent rights to this to George Westinghouse for a large sum of money). Up until then motors were driven by somewhat ineffective DC current, (direct-current) , but convinced there were flaws in this method, Tesla set out to ‘better’ the way motors worked and came up with an alternating current electricity system.
It is worth noting he also created the ‘Tesla coil’ in 1891, a system to wirelessly transmit electricity, and it is still in used in radio technology even today.
Where was Nikola Tesla born?
He was born in what is known today as Croatia, on 10th July, 1856. His father was a priest in the Orthodox Church. Nikola did not finish university due to the belief his teachers knew less than him, (he wasn’t far wrong), and never got a degree. At age 28 he went to America where he became a citizen, and there he worked with Thomas Edison for a short time.
How did Tesla die?
Nikola Tesla died penniless and alone on 7th January 1943, aged 86, in a New York hotel. The medical examiner stated the cause of death as coronary thrombosis.
His body was found by the maid when she went in to clean. He was badly in debt, and his room in the hotel had been paid for by George Westinghouse for years.
This was presumable because after selling his patent to Westinghouse, but still receiving royalties, at one point when Westinghouse was in financial difficulties he asked Tesla for relief on the royalties for the AC machine. Tesla simply tore up the contract thereby renouncing millions of dollars that were owed to him in royalties, and the billions he would have got in the future.
Was Nikola Tesla married?
No, he was never married. In an interview in 1924, Tesla stated that he would never marry, explaining that women were too far above him for him to reach them at the beginning of his life, but then when they started wanting their ‘freedom’. At that point they became so far beneath him it was pointless.
Later in life he became fixated with pigeons, especially white ones, and spent hours in a park in New York watching them.
Is the Tesla car named after Tesla?
Yes. Elon Musk named his electric car after Nikola Tesla – he also named his company after the scientist.
This started a ‘Nikola Tesla revival’, and after so long the inventor is now being lauded for his work. It comes quite a few years too late, but today many people know his name, even if they are not sure what he did.
Did Nikola Tesla work in fields other than electricity?
Nikola Tesla is often called the ‘Father of Robotics’, and the reason is easy to see. In 1889 he made the very first remote control robot-boat, although to be fair, he did use radio wave which were unknown at the time! He also patented the remote, and it was the first wireless remote control anywhere in the world.