Nikola Tesla
The master of electricity
Here's a time line of Nikola Tesla:
- 1856 - Born into a Serb family in the village of Smiljan
- 1875 - Tesla Enrolled at Austrian Polytechnic
- 1882 - Worked for Continental Edison.Working independently, Tesla identified the rotating magnetic induction field principle. This is used today in alternators.
- 1884 - Moved to United States.Tesla moved to the United States in 1884, immediately approaching Thomas Edison with a letter of introduction. According to Tesla, he was offered 50,000 dollars to solve a problem, but Edison never paid.
- 1885 - Nikola Tesla Quit Working for Edison.After Edison refused to pay, Tesla quit working for Edison, with the plan and intention of starting his own electrical company.
- 1886 - Began Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing.Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company in Rahway, New Jersey. He invented and marketed an arc lamp; however, he earned relatively little off of his investment.
- 1887 - War of Currents.The War of Currents began in 1887. Direct current, invented and supported by Edison, was in direct competition with Tesla's alternating current.
- 1891 - Patented Tesla Coil.In 1891, Tesla patented the Tesla Coil. The Tesla Coil is a resonant transformer circuit that produced a high voltage, low current and high frequency alternating current electricity.
- 1893 - Columbian Exhibition.With the support of the Westinghouse Company, Tesla's alternating current powered the World's Columbian Exhibition. Tesla had offered a lower cost electrical solution.
- 1915 - Files Suit Against Guglielmo Marconi.On August 4, 1915, Tesla filed suit against Guglielmo Marconi. Marconi is typically credited with radio transmission; however, Tesla accomplished this before Marconi.
- 1934 - Particle Beam Research.In 1934, the New York Times published Tesla's particle beam research. While he was not financially successful, he continued to be a relatively prominent voice in the scientific community.
- 1943 - Tesla Died. On January 7, 1943, as World War II raged. Nikola Tesla at the age of 86, died alone in room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel. Upon his death, the U.S. government immediately seized his papers and research.
- 1960 - A Tesla Was Defined as a Unit of Measurement.In 1960, the scientific community recognized Tesla's achievements by defining a Tesla as a unit of measurement. A Tesla is a unit of magnetic field B.
"Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine."
--Nikola Tesla