Nikola Tesla is well known for inventing alternating current (AC), induction motor, Rotating magnetic field Tesla coil and radio remote control vehicle. Nikola was an expert in both Electrical and mechanical engineering.
Tesla was born on 10 July 1856 in Austria and died on 17 January 1943 in New York, US. He had four siblings. His father was an orthodox priest and his mother was good at making craft and house hold tools.
Nikola was good at studies and had eidetic memory. He studied Arithmetic, Religion and German subjects in his primary school. Later he joined school at Higher Real Gymnasium and was very good at math that he was able to calculate integral calculus in his mind. In 1875, he joined Austrian Polytechnic and passed nine exams. Later on, he discontinued and was not a graduate. He spoke eight languages.
Discoveries and inventions:
AC induction motor is graded as one of the best evergreen discoveries among 10 discoveries in the world. Original AC induction motor made by Tesla is in British Museum, London.
Nikola’s inventions includes rotating magnetic field induction motor that makes feasible unit drives for machines and makes AC power transmission economically necessary.
Tesla also improved robotics, lasers, radar, x-rays, wireless communications and many more. Tesla being an environmentalist was worried about the fact that non-renewable resources will get exhausted soon on earth. So, he insisted to use renewable fuels. Tesla was experimenting on using renewable energy and he also generated artificial lightening in lab.
Tesla worked for Edison
Tesla worked for Continental Edison Company, France. He designed and improved electrical equipment. In the year 1884, he joined Edison Machine Works, New York. He worked under Thomas Alva Edison as an electric engineer to solve most difficult problems. Edison offered Tesla to renovate his DC generators and motors at US$50,000. Tesla completed the task and waited for payment, but Edison did not pay and he offered to increase the pay by US$10. Tesla refused and resigned the company.
Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing
Tesla established “Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing”, an electric company, with the help of two businessmen in 1886. Investors were not much interested about his ideas of building new types of motors and power transmission equipment. Tesla had to surrender patent rights as the company ran out of stock.
Telsa had 100 patents and more. He had around 700 inventions, but was not wealthy. In 1887, Tesla established Tesla Electric Company with the help of Superintendent of Western Union Mr Alfred S Brown and Charles F Peck, attorney of New York. He started developing advanced induction motors and other devices in his laboratory. He developed an induction motor that enabled high power AC transmission. This motor got patent in the year 1888 and it was designed without a commutator.
Tesla’s literary works
Tesla wrote many articles for journals and magazines. Tesla’s books include “My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla”, The Fantastic Inventions of Nikola Tesla and others. The two popular articles of Tesla are “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy” and “Experiments With Alternate Currents Of High Potential And High Frequency”.
Things named after Tesla
- Magnetic flux density or magnetic inductivity uses Tesla as SI unit.
- A 26 km wide Tesla crater on the moon is named after him.
- An electric car company called Tesla motors.
- TPP Nikola Tesla is a largest power plant in Serbia.
- Nikola Tesla airport in Belgrade.
- Nikola Tesla award.
- Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
Things named after Tesla is counting, as he was such a great engineer. He never worked for money, but worked for humankind to improve the quality of living. He had popular friends like Sarah Bernhardt, a French actress, and Mark Twain, a writer.
Tesla suffered financially till the end of his life. He passed away in a New York hotel on 7 January 1943. US paid the tribute to this great engineer by releasing postal stamp in his name.
