Max Weiss

Nikola Tesla:
Master of
Lightning
Physics 1010: Final Project

Cassie McOmber

Nikola Tesla is an often overlooked member of History. He may have been one
of the smartest men to have ever lived but yet we are taught so little about him.
Nikola can be credited with such inventions as the AC generator, transformers, AC
motors, and Transmission lines. Basically none of the technical advancements we
have made could have happened if it wasnt for Nikola Tesla. And the surprising
thing is that we came very close to not getting to hear this geniuses ideas.
Nikola Tesla was born in what is now Croatia between July 9 th and 10th Just as
midnight struck, an electrical storm raged outside, in the year 1856. He was born to
a Djuka Mandic and Milutin Tesla. His mother Djuka was from one of the oldest
Serbian families in the area and was known to invent small house hold items while
Nikola was growing up. Nikola once said Her nimble fingers could knot a thread
three times in an eyelash. (Nikola Teslas Life New Documentary Full, Minute 6:05,
Nikola Tesla.) Nikolas father Milutin was both a priest and a writer. During this
period in history boys only really had two choices, they were to join the church or
join the army. But as a bright young child the idea of doing wither of those things
was unappealing. Nikola was a boy with a wild imagination, he would often find
himself staring at images her was not even sure were real. At one point Nikola
shared a vision he had had to his uncle. He told his uncle that one day he would Go
to America and carry out his scheme (Nikola Teslas Life New Documentary Full,
Minute 6:56, Nikola Tesla), this scheme was based off of a vision he had seen of the
great Niagara Falls. He had seen in his minds eye a great wheel that was run off the

falls. Throughout his whole childhood Nikola had big dreams of inventions and
moving to America. His dreams were almost shattered in the year 1873.
At the age of 17 Nikola contracted Cholera, along with hundreds of others in
his area. For quite some time his family believed that he would die, and towards
what looked to be the end of his days Nikola told his father, I might get well if I
could Study Science, To which his father replied You will study at the best
Engineering schools in the world. At this point Tesla was almost fully prepared to
enter the church as a priest like his father. But at his fathers words Nikola suddenly
recovered. It was a miracle. After his brush with death Nikola was sent off to a
school in Austria when he was 21 in the year 1877 where he soon became obsessed
with the idea and concept of electricity. While he was at university Tesla continued
to have great ideas, and once while his professor was teaching them about the
concept of a magnetic motor that produced electricity Tesla called out and asked in
an alternating current would work with such a motor. His professor humiliated him,
telling him that that idea would never work. But Tesla did not let that stop him, he
continued to cultivate his idea.

In the year 1880 at the age of 24 Tesla moved to Budapest for work, there he
continued to refine his idea of an Alternating Current generator, The only difference
is that away from his disbelieving professor Teslas ideas flourished and he was
actually able to flush out his idea for an AC Generator. His Generator worked in
steps and phases, powering different coils along the outside of the circle at different
times, using the magnetic force to turn a fan on the inside of the circle, and was the
basic electrical equivalent of the wheel. (Nikola Teslas Life New Documentary Full,

Minute 11:17.) The next phase in this point was for Tesla to try and put his idea into
practice, to try and prove his theory so he set off to do something he had dreamed
about since he was a boy and on June 6 th 1884 Tesla stepped foot in America with
only four cents in his pocket.
While Nikola Tesla was working out his idea for is AC generator Thomas
Edison was in America working on his direct current generator and his lightbulb.
Tesla was aware of Edison and was in fact a big fan of Edisons work. When he
arrived in America at 28 he was broke but he still had a letter of recommendation
from Charles Batchelor, who was one of Edisons Associates from Europe. In the
letter Charles let Edison know that Tesla was a very smart man, almost as smart as
Edison. Tesla had not been idle during this time though, he had tried to build his AC
generator with no success in both Germany and France. Because of Charles letter
Edison and Tesla started working together, but there was soon a problem between
them because Tesla was trying to create a model of a generator that was better
than Edisons, he had all of his inventions working off a continuous generator and
Tesla wanted to create an AC generator. Tesla knew he couldnt do anything without
money so when Edison offered to pay him $50,000 to help him improve the systems
that Edison already had in place, Tesla thought it was too good to be true, and he
was right. As soon as Tesla was done working and was waiting for payment Edison
laughed at him and refused to pay him. Tesla was furious and stormed out of
Edisons building.

Tesla worked for a year digging trenches for Edisons copper wires used for
transferring energy. But finally after a year Tesla was able to pick up several private

investors for his project and soon had his own lab space set up just down the street
from Edisons office. In the year 1888 Tesla had final made his motor, over a five
year period after this Tesla received patents for several inventions in the United
States; He received one for AC Generators, AC motors, Transistors and transmission
lines. It was at this point that an industrialist named George Westinghouse
approached Tesla and offered to buy Teslas patents for 1 million dollars. What he
actually received was $60,000 and stock in a Westinghouse company. Over the next
several years Edison and Tesla continued to fight each other over which form of
power was better. At one point Thomas took it too far when he stared to spread
negative propaganda about AC currents. He would electrocute live animals in public
demonstrations, trying to prove that AC Currents were more dangerous. At this point
someone brought up the idea that AC current could be used as a death sentence,
and it was tested by auburn university on inmates with horrifying results, and thus
the electric chair was born.
In 1900 Tesla became obsessed with the idea of Wireless global
communication and started on a project that he believed would bring free power to
the world. His project was soon shut down and in 1915 the building site for his
tower was condemned, two years after that the tower was pulled down and sold
for scrap to pay off some of Teslas debt, he was bankrupt at this point.
Tesla died at the age of 86 in the year 1943, he had been thought of as a
crazy man for the last ten years of his life. At one point the FBI had him on a watch
list for threatening to build a death ray, which interested the Soviets greatly. Tesla
could be found at the park most days in his old age feeding and talking to the
pigeons. He got to die in New York City, where he had lived for 60 years of his life.
This man was one of the most brilliant men of all time and yet we almost never hear
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anything about him. He was a hero, it is quite sad to think that schools will most
likely go on to teach only about Thomas Edison, that man who didnt really invent
the light bulb and who tortured animals out of spite and for petty reasons. We
should remember Tesla more than Edison.

Sources and Citation:

http://www.biography.com/people/nikolatesla-9504443#synopsis (Biography.com Editors,
published: unknown)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=98QwPO1b5j4 (UKUFO, Published: February 17, 2014)