Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla (1856 –1943) was one of the greatest and most enigmatic scientists who played a key role in the development of electro magnetism and other scientific discoveries of his time. Despite his breathtaking number of patents and discoveries, his achievements were often underplayed during his lifetime.
Nikola Tesla was born 10 July 1856, of Serbian nationality in Smiljan, the Austrian Empire.
Tesla
was a bright student and in 1875 went to the Austrian polytechnic in
Graz. However, he left to gain employment in Marburg in Slovenia.
Evidence of his difficult temperament sometimes manifested and after an
estrangement from his family, he suffered a nervous breakdown. He later
enrolled in the Charles Ferdinand University in Prague, but again he
left before completing his degree.
During his early life, he
experienced many periods of illness and periods of startling
inspiration. Accompanied by blinding flashes of light, he would often
visualise mechanical and theoretical inventions spontaneously. He had a
unique capacity to visualise images in his head. When working on
projects, he would rarely write down plans or scale drawings, but rely
on the images in his mind.
In 1880 he moved to Budapest where he
worked for a telegraph company. During this time, he became acquainted
with twin turbines and helped develop a device that provided
amplification for when using the telephone.
In 1882 he moved to
Paris, where he worked for the Continental Edison Company. Here he
improved various devices used by the Edison company. He also conceived
the induction motor and devices that used a rotating magnetic fields.
With
a strong letter of recommendation, Tesla went to the United States in
1884 to work for the Edison Machine Works company. Here he became one of
the chief engineers and designers. Tesla was given a task to improve
the electrical system of direct current generators. Tesla claimed he was
offered $50,000 if he could significantly improve the motor generators.
however, after completing his task, Tesla received no reward. This was
one of several factors that led to a deep rivalry and bitterness between
Tesla and Thomas Edison.
It was to become a defining feature of Tesla’s life and impacted on his
financial reward and prestige. This deep rivalry was also seen a reason
why neither Tesla or Edison were awarded a Nobel prize for their
electrical discoveries.
Disgusted without even receiving a pay
rise, Tesla resigned, and for a short while, found himself having to
gain employment digging ditches for the Edison telephone company.
In 1886, Tesla formed his own company, but it wasn’t a success as his backers didn’t support his faith in AC current.
In
1887, Tesla worked on a form of X-Rays. He was able to photograph the
bones in his hand; he also became aware of the side-effects from using
radiation. However, his work in this area gained little coverage, and
much of his research was later lost in a firm at a New York warehouse.
