Nikola Tesla: The Extraordinary Life of a Modern Prometheus (2023)

Match the following people (Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi, Alfred Nobel, and Nikola Tesla) to these biographical facts:

• speak eight languages
• Produced the first AC motor.
• Fundamental technology developed for long-distance wireless communications.
• He has around 300 patents.
• Claims to have developed a "superweapon" that could end all wars

Of course, everyone's opponent is Tesla. surprised? Most people have heard his name, but few know him.Its place in modern science and technology.。

the opening ofThe new Tesla biopicIt offers a timely opportunity to look back at the life of a self-made man who became world famous; he stated that he devoted himself only to discovery, but enjoyed the role of performer; he attracted the attention of many women but never married; An idea that spawned several fortunes but died almost penniless.

in recent years

Tesla was born on a summer night in 1856 in what is now Croatia, where he is said to have been.Electro Storm- which prompted the midwife to say, "He will be the son of the storm," to which his mother prophetically replied, "No, the son of the light." As a student, Tesla demonstratedsuch an extraordinary abilityThe teacher accused him of cheating on a math problem. He fell seriously ill as a teenager and recovered when his father dropped his demand that Nikolai be made a priest and allowed him to attend an engineering school.

Despite being an excellent student, Tesla eventually dropped out of the Polytechnic Institute and ended up working for the company.Edison kontinental, specializing in electric lighting and motors. Tesla, who emigrated to the United States in 1884 to meet Edison in person, later claimed that he would be paid $50,000 if he could solve a series of technical problems Edison's company was facing. After completing the feat, he was told the proposal was fake and left the company six months later, Tesla said.

Tesla then developed relationships with two businessmen that led to the creation of Tesla.Electric Light and Tesla Manufacturing. He registered several electrical patents and assigned them to companies. When his partners decided to focus on energy supply, they took over the company's intellectual property and formed another, leaving Tesla empty.

Tesla reported that this is the caseworked as a trench diggerAt two dollars a day, he felt nauseous that his talents and education were being wasted.

Success as an inventor

In 1887, Tesla met two investors who agreed to support the creation of the Tesla Electric Company. He founded a laboratory in Manhattan in which he developedAC induction motor, which solved many technical problems that plagued other designs. When Tesla demonstrated its device at an engineering conference, Westinghouse licensed the technology, offering upfront payment and royalties for every horsepower produced.

The calling "battle of the tidesprevailed in the late 1880s. Thomas Edison promoted direct current, claiming it was safer than alternating current. George Westinghouse supported alternating current because it could transmit power over long distances. Westinghouse lacked funds as the two companies undercut each other's prices. He explained the difficulty and asked Tesla to sell him his patents for a lump sum, to which Tesla agreed but lost the large fortune he would have had had he kept them.

WithWorld Exposition in ColombiaIn 1893, as the Battle of Chicago loomed, Westinghouse asked Tesla for help with the power supply; They would have a huge platform to demonstrate the benefits of air conditioning. Tesla helped the show power more lightbulbs than the entire city of Chicago, and wowed audiences with all sorts of wonders, including electric lights that required no wires. Tesla later helped Westinghouse Electric win a power generation contract.Niagara Waterfallto help build the world's first large AC power plant.

challenges along the way

Tesla has encountered many obstacles. In 1895, his Manhattan laboratory was destroyed by fire, destroying his notebooks and prototypes. In 1898 he exhibited at Madison Square Garden.Wireless controlA boat show that many consider a hoax. He soon turned his attention to the wireless transmission of electricity. He believes his system can not only distribute power around the world, but also enable global wireless communications.

Tesla was there to test his ideaColorado Springs. It used so much electricity there that there was a power outage in the area. He also discovered a signal that he claimed came from an extraterrestrial source. In 1901, Tesla convinced JPMorgan Chase to invest in building oneTorre en Long IslandHe believes it will justify his plans to electrify the world. Tesla's dream didn't come true, however, and Morgan promptly withdrew his money.

in 1909,Marconi receives the Nobel PrizeFor the development of radio. In 1915, Tesla sued Marconi for infringement of his patents, but was unsuccessful. same yearrumoredEdison and Tesla would share the Nobel Prize, but that didn't happen. Unconfirmed speculation suggests that the cause was mutual animosity between them. However, Tesla received numerous honors and awards during his lifetime, including, ironically, an award from the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.Edison Medal。

a unique man

Tesla is aElite. He said he has a photographic memory that helps him memorize whole books and he speaks eight languages. He also claims that many of his best ideas come to him instantly and that he sees detailed images of many inventions in his head before he begins building prototypes. As a result, no drawings or plans were initially made for many of his devices.

At six feet tall, Tesla was huge and popular with women, but his wife claims he never married.Celibacy played an important role in his work.. Perhaps because you contracted a near-fatal illness as a teenager, you fear germs, and you follow very strict hygiene practices, all of which can get in the way of developing relationships. He also displayed unusual phobias, such as an aversion to pearls, leading to his refusal to speak to a woman who wore pearls.

Tesla believed his greatest ideas came from solitude. He was no recluse, however, and associated with many of the most respected men.famous personalities of his timeat an elegant dinner he organized. Mark Twain frequently visited his laboratory and advertised some of his inventions. Tesla is known not only as a great engineer and inventor, but also as a philosopher, poet and connoisseur. On his 75th birthday, he received a congratulatory letter from Einstein and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine.

Tesla's final years

In the popular imagination, Tesla plays a role:Crazy Science. He claims to have developed an engine powered by cosmic rays; he is working on a new non-Einsteinian physics that will provide a new form of energy; he discovered a new technique for photographing thoughts; He also developed a new type of lightning. , alternately called the Death Ray and the Peace Ray, which had far greater military potential than Nobel's ammunition.

Long out of money, Tesla continued to move in his later years, leaving behind unpaid bills. Eventually he settled in a hotel in New York and Westinghouse paid the rent. He always lives alone and frequently visits the local park where he is often seen.Pigeon feeding and care, with whom he is said to have a special affinity. On the morning of January 7, 1943, at the age of 86, he was found dead in his room by a hotel employee.

Halloder Name TeslaStill in wide distribution. Belgrade Airport and the world's most famous electric car are named after him, and MRI scanners measure the strength of Tesla's magnetic field. Tesla was the real Prometheus: the titan of Greek mythology who attacked the heavens to bring fire to mankind, but as punishment he was chained to a rock to be pecked by an eagle that ate his liver every day. Tesla scaled great heights and brought lightning to earth, but his strange state of mind and unusual habits ultimately led to his downfall, leaving him almost alone and penniless.

This article has been updated to correct Tesla's birthplace. Although of Serbian origin, he was born in what is now Croatia.