Nikola Tesla was one of America's greatest inventors. He was a
contemporary of Thomas Edison, a man who was his employer and later
became his chief rival.
Nikola Tesla's Childhood and Education
Tesla
was born on July 10, 1856, in Croatia. He was the fourth of five
children born to a Serbian Orthodox priest. Tesla's mother was a
homemaker who would often invent things that would help around the home
and farm. He studied at the Realschule, Karlstadt in, the Polytechnic
Institute in Graz, Austria and the University of Prague.
Nikola Tesla Life in America
Tesla
arrived in the United States in 1884 with little money and an
introduction letter to Thomas Edison. Through 1886-88 he began
investigating some of his most notable inventions such as the initial
brush less alternating current induction motor, practical applications
for x rays, and the principles of his Tesla coil. On the 30th of July
1891 Tesla became a citizen of the United States. He was 35 years old.
In the next few years Tesla set up two laboratories in New York.
Tesla and Edison in "The War of Currents"
Perhaps
what Tesla is most known for is his battle with Thomas Edison in what
was called "The War of Currents." Edison believed in Direct Current flow
which was limited in its distance and voltage compared to Tesla's
alternating current, which would increase voltage levels across greater
distances than Edison could dream. In 1893 Tesla and his sponsor,
Westinghouse, beat Edison in lighting up the Colombian Exposition in
Chicago, giving Tesla a chance to show the public the advantages of AC
electricity. Tesla became victor of "The War of Currents."
Tesla
came to believe that a world system could be built that would transmit
electricity without wires. The earth itself would be the conductor of
electrical current. Current would be transmitted between two points.
Electrical devices between these points could draw on the current from
the earth and air.
On January 7, 1943, Tesla died at the age of 86
of coronary thrombosis. He had never been married. He spent his whole
life inventing and discovering. After he died it was found out that
Tesla had held over 700 patents.
http://video.about.com/history1900s/Profile-of-Nikola-Tesla.htm
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