By Tye Jayrel
Just mention the name Nikola Tesla and I believe not many people know who he is. Although he may not be as famous as Thomas Edison, I assure you that he is relatively smarter and efficient.
Tesla, who discovered alternating current (AC), is regarded as one of the most brilliant inventors in history. His discovery provided the basis for the modern AC power system that we are all familiar with,
Tesla has also helped to develop both the radio and the fluorescent light bulb. Among his colleagues were Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. He was also widely misunderstood by his peers and the public at large.
Together with Westinghouse, during the World's Fair exhibition in 1893, Tesla created history by having the first exhibit ever automobile powered by electricity.
The infamous Tesla Coil was also developed around this time. A conflict in his relationship with Edison started because Tesla was in favour of AC power, while Edison was promoting DC power systems. This was the beginning of an unhappy relationship with Edison, as Tesla was in favour of AC power, while Edison was promoting DC power systems.
Born a Serb, Tesla became a naturalised American citizen in 1891 when he turned 35.
More Inventions
Much to his credit, Tesla patented the first basic radio patent in 1897, and demonstrated a radio controlled boat to the U.S. Navy in 1898.
Many people probably would not know that Tesla had invented the first spark plug for which he was awarded a patent on that as well.
Upon relocating to Colorado in 1899, Tesla pursued his research into high-voltage high frequency power transmission.
Three years later, he left Colorado for New York, after selling off the lab to pay off his debts. Never giving up on his ideas, Tesla carried out another project known as the Wardenclyffe, which was an early radio transmission tower.
After a lot of investments, the Wardenclyffe tower, however, did not work out. Sadly, he became broke and owed a lot of money to his creditors. . To pay for his debts, the tower was broken down and sold for scrap.
It was around this time that Marconi invented the radio, and this bagged him a Nobel Prize.
Unfortunately, Tesla was never given any credit for all his inventions. His last patent was issued in 1928, after many years of hard work.
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He died alone and a broken man at a hotel in New York City on January 7, 1943, when he turned 86 years old. His body was only found when a hotel maid ignored the “do not disturb” sign on his door and decided to enter his room after two days of no activity from within.
Although Tesla made some bad decisions, he was a very smart man, who had an IQ between 160 and 310.
We remember him as the first person in the world to make wireless communication. Although we do not know much about this mysterious Tesla, I have to admit that he was probably the smartest man ever lived,
Most importantly, he is my favourite inventor!