Nikola Tesla
(10 July 1856, Smiljan, Lika, Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia)– 7 January 1943, New York City, U.S) (aged 86)
Citizenship: Austrian Empire (1856–1891), United States (1891–1943)
Nationality: Serbian, United States American
Category: Scientists
Occupation: Inventor and electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist.
Unique Distinction: Tesla is uniquely distinguished as the “Father of Alternating Current (AC)”(more precisely – of practical applications of AC power systems) and a pioneer in wireless energy transmission. Nikola Tesla is often referred to as the greatest electrical engineer of all time and “The Man Who Invented the 20th Century”. His ability to visualize his inventions in intricate detail before building them marks him as a creative genius.
Influences: Ernst Mach
Religion: Eastern Orthodox. Later unified Christianity and Buddhism.
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Never married, no children
Height: 6’2″ (188 cm). Though some sources, 6’4″ (193 сm)
Weight: 140–142 lb. (63.5–64.4 kg). He maintained the same weight through his lifetime.
Tesla’s Quotes
1. The desire that guides me in all I do is the desire to harness the forces of nature to the service of mankind.
2. In the universe, there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength, inspiration.
3. I am trying to awake the energy contained in the air. These are the main sources of energy. What is considered as empty space is just a manifestation of matter that is not awakened.
4. The most important product of a creative mind is an invention. Its ultimate aim is the rule of mind over nature and the use of its forces for the needs of mankind.
5. I am part of a light, and it is the music. The Light fills my six senses: I see it, hear, feel, smell, touch and think. Thinking of it means my sixth sense. Particles of Light are written note. O bolt of lightning can be an entire sonata.
6. We are whirling through endless space, with and inconceivable speed, all around everything is spinning, everything is moving, everywhere there is energy… The mere contemplation of these magnificent possibilities expand our minds, strengthens our hopes and fills our hearts with supreme delight.
7. It is not in the shallow physical imitation of men that women will assert first their equality and later their superiority, but in the awakening of the intellect of women.
8. I [had] admired the works of artists, but to my mind, they were only shadows and semblances. The inventor, I thought, gives to the world creations which are palpable, which live and work.
9. Though free to think and act, we are held together, like the stars in the firmament, with ties inseparable.
10. Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really worked, is mine.
Achievements and contributions:
Social and Professional Position
Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, pioneering scientist and futurist. He earned global acclaim as an independent inventor and consultant for Westinghouse. A key figure in the Second Industrial Revolution, and one of the most influential inventors and electrical engineers in history.
Main Contribution (Best Known For)
Nikola Tesla is celebrated for pioneering the alternating current (AC) power system, including the induction motor (1888), Tesla coil (1891) and polyphase transmission, which revolutionized electricity generation and distribution. He also made significant contributions to the development of wireless communication, radar, and X-ray technology. Nikola Tesla obtained patents for more than 300 distinct inventions, registered in various countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and Canada, and others.
These inventions enabled long-distance electricity distribution, transforming industries and daily life and laid the groundwork for modern electricity and radio technology.
Known for his eccentric personality, visionary ideas, and lifelong dedication to scientific discovery.
Main Contributions to Science and Notable Ideas:
1. AC (Alternating Current) Power System (1887–1896) (developed in 1887, widely implemented by 1896).
Tesla pioneered the AC power system, including polyphase and three-phase designs, to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity efficiently over long distances.
Tesla did not invent (AC) alternating current – that work began in 1831, with Michael Faraday who discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction. Then Hippolyte Pixii built on this idea by creating a hand-cranked device—a magneto-electric generator—with a spinning magnet and stationary coils. The transmission of electric power with alternating current (AC) was first demonstrated in London by Lucien Gaulard and John Dixon Gibbs in 1881. Thomas Edison in 1879 began to use a dynamo with a commutator, which rectified the alternating current (AC) naturally produced by the rotating coils in a magnetic field into a pulsating direct current (DC).
Tesla revolutionized AC power system application with the rotating magnetic field and induction motor based on a three-phase system of alternating current.
Tesla’s AC system revolutionized electricity distribution by making it accessible, efficient, and adaptable, powering the industrial age.
2. Induction Motor or “Electromagnetic Motor» (invented in 1887, patented in 1888) presents itself as a key component in modern industrial machinery. In 1882–1883 Tesla first conceived the concept of a rotating magnetic field while working in Budapest and Paris. After moving to the USA in 1884, Tesla in 1887 developed a working prototype of the induction motor
Tesla’s Induction Motor relies fundamentally on the principles of the Polyphase AC System, with the Three-Phase System being its most practical implementation. Together, they formed a triad that transformed electricity from a local novelty into a worldwide necessity.
2.1. Rotating Magnetic Field (1882) is the basis for AC motors and a leap in mechanical engineering. The Rotating Magnetic Field is an invisible magnetic “wave” that spins in a circle, created by alternating currents (AC) flowing through coils of wire.
AC currents, out of phase or peaking at different times, flow three coils are positioned at a different angle (e.g. 120 degrees for three-phase). As one coil’s magnetic field strengthens and another weakens, the combined field shifts smoothly from coil to coil. This overlap makes the magnetic field “spin” like a continuous wave around the ring.
Think of kids on a merry-go-round. If they push off at slightly different times but keep going, the platform spins smoothly.
This rotating magnetic field could then induce a current in a rotor, causing it to turn without the need for brushes or commutators, which were necessary in direct current (DC) motors.
1. This design allowed us to get rid of clunky mechanical parts like in DC motors.
2. The smooth rotation uses energy with less energy loss, perfect for long-distance power.
Tesla’s induction motor represents the beginning of the second industrial revolution, becoming the rock-solid foundation for today’s entire system of producing, sending, and using electricity.
2.2. Polyphase AC System (1887). The induction motor operates using a rotating magnetic field, which is generated by multiple alternating currents (AC) that are out of phase—precisely what the Polyphase AC System provides. polyphase AC delivers overlapping currents (e.g., two, three, or more phases), creating a smooth, self-sustaining magnetic field in the motor’s stator. Tesla’s U.S. Patent (1888) explicitly ties the motor to polyphase AC, describing it as an “electromagnetic motor” driven by “alternating currents differing in phase.”
2.3. Three-Phase System (1887–1888) is a refined subset of the polyphase system, using three currents 120 degrees out of phase, to transmit power more efficiently and reliably than single- or two-phase systems.
Tesla identified this as the most efficient configuration for both power transmission and motor operation, as it balances power delivery and minimizes energy loss.
It became the standard for modern power distribution due to its balance of efficiency and simplicity.
The Hydroelectric Power Plant at Niagara Falls (1895). In collaboration with George Westinghouse, Tesla’s work led to the successful implementation of AC power at Niagara Falls and the development of the world’s first major hydroelectric power plant. The induction motor Tesla demonstrated deployed at Niagara Falls was specifically a three-phase induction motor.
3. Wireless Communication (1890s). From the 1890s through 1906, Tesla spent a great deal of his time and fortune on a series of projects trying to develop the transmission of electrical power without wires. It was an expansion of his public demonstrations where he lit Geissler tubes and incandescent light bulbs from across a stage.
One of his ideas was to conduct electricity through the Earth or atmosphere, the latter based on a common idea at the time that the atmosphere was conductive.
Tesla setting up a large resonance transformer magnifying transmitter in his East Houston Street lab and proposed a system composed of balloons suspending, transmitting, and receiving, electrodes in the air above 30,000 feet (9,100 m) in altitude.
Pioneered early experiments with radio waves and laid the groundwork for modern wireless technologies, including radio and radar.
3.1. Radio Technology (1897). Nikola Tesla’s experiments with wireless transmission in the 1890s laid the groundwork for the world-changing technology of radio transmission.
At the end of 1901, Guglielmo Marconi was able to transmit a signal across the Atlantic. Marconi, initially credited with inventing the radio, received a patent in 1904 for his radio transmission system and received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 for inventing radio.
Tesla had already demonstrated wireless communication principles years earlier.
He filed patents in 1897 with patents granted in 1900 for devices that transmitted and received electromagnetic waves—essentially a radio system. The U.S. Supreme Court posthumously recognized Tesla’s priority in 1943. Thus, Tesla laid the theoretical and experimental groundwork for wireless communication, while Marconi engineered a commercially viable system.
He filed patents in 1897 with patents granted in 1900 for devices that transmitted and received electromagnetic waves—essentially a radio system. The U.S. Supreme Court posthumously recognized Tesla’s priority in 1943. Thus, Tesla laid the theoretical and experimental groundwork for wireless communication, while Marconi engineered a commercially viable system.
3.2. Radar Technology (1900-1907). His work on electromagnetic waves contributed to the development of radar. Tesla proposed using electromagnetic waves to detect objects by sending out pulses and measuring their reflections—a foundational idea for radar. He described this in 1900, envisioning it for navigation and detecting ships or obstacles. Tesla’s “invention” of radar technology was a visionary idea rather than a completed device. His 1900 and 1917 proposals laid the theoretical groundwork, but the actual development of radar came later through others’ engineering efforts.
4. Tesla Coil (1891) is a specialized type of high-voltage transformer.
That invention Enabled high-voltage experiments and wireless energy concepts, influencing radio and television.
Tesla tested a Ruhmkorff coil with a high-speed alternator for arc lighting but found the high-frequency current overheated the core and melted insulation.
He solved this problem by creating The Tesla coil—an electrical resonant transformer circuit which used an air gap instead of insulating material and movable iron core to produce high-voltage, high-frequency AC electricity.
This device produces high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency alternating-current electricity, essential for early radio and television broadcasting.
Tesla coils would be used to conduct experiments in electrical lighting, phosphorescence, x-ray generation, electrotherapy, and the transmission of electricity without wires.
5. Steam-powered oscillating generator (1893) is a reciprocating electricity generator. Steam would be forced into the oscillator, and exit through a series of ports, pushing a piston up and down that was attached to an armature, causing it to vibrate up and down at high speed, producing alternating magnetic field and electricity.
Later in life, Tesla claimed one version of the oscillator caused an earthquake in New York City in 1898, gaining it the colloquial title “Tesla’s earthquake machine”.
6. Remote Control (1898). During an electrical exhibition at Madison Square Garden, Tesla demonstrated the first remote-controlled device, a boat controlled by radio waves, which he dubbed “telautomaton”.
He demonstrated the potential of wireless technology and laying the groundwork for modern robotics and drones. In many ways, it was also the birth of robotics.
7. X-Ray Experimentation (1894). Tesla may have inadvertently captured an X-ray image—predating, by a few weeks, Wilhelm Röntgen’s December 1895 announcement of the discovery of X-rays—when he tried to photograph Mark Twain illuminated by a Geissler tube, an earlier type of gas discharge tube. Thus, he conducted pioneering research into X-rays before Wilhelm Röntgen’s official discovery, though he did not pursue it commercially.
8. Wireless lighting (notably demonstrated in 1891–1893). Tesla harnessed his Tesla coil to produce high AC voltages, transmitting power wirelessly through inductive and capacitive coupling. He conducted striking public demonstrations, lighting Geissler tubes and incandescent bulbs across a stage without wires, showcasing the potential for cable-free illumination and inspiring later wireless power concepts.
9. Bladeless turbine (1906). The Tesla Turbine, also known as the bladeless turbine, used a series of smooth, parallel disks to harness fluid dynamics for mechanical power. On his 50th birthday, Tesla unveiled a 200 horsepower (150 kW), 16,000 rpm turbine using smooth discs instead of blades, relying on fluid friction and boundary layer effects for efficiency. Between 1910 and 1911, he tested larger versions, ranging from 100 to 5,000 hp, at New York’s Waterside Power Station, aiming for industrial applications.
10. Fluorescent and Neon Lighting (1893). Tesla developed early versions of fluorescent and neon lights, by passing high-frequency AC through gas-filled tubes, causing them to glow brightly without filaments.
His pioneering work in phosphorescent lighting laid the foundation for modern neon signage, lighting up city centers around the globe.
He demonstrated these lights at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.
11. The Ozone Generator (1896). Tesla was experimenting with ozone generation in the 1890s and patented the first portable ozone generator in 1896. He even founded the Tesla Ozone Company, which produced ozone generators for medical purposes. While originally marketed for indoor air purification, Tesla’s invention laid the foundation for future advancements in ozone technology.
12. The Tesla Valve (Patented in 1920). This is a one-way valve with no moving parts, allowing fluid to flow in one direction while resisting flow in the opposite direction. It revolutionized fluid dynamics and is used in engineering applications. Its durability, and ease of fabrication made it invaluable in various applications, from microfluidics to pulsejet engines.
13. The “Teleforce” (introduced in 1934, developed through the 1930s). Nikola Tesla’s “Teleforce,” proposed in 1934 and developed through the 1930s, was a particle beam weapon, dubbed the “Death Ray.” It aimed to accelerate metal particles like tungsten or mercury to high speeds using electrostatic repulsion in a vacuum, projecting them through a nozzle to destroy targets up to 250 miles away. Tesla saw it as a revolutionary defense tool to deter warfare, though it was never built. It later inspired directed-energy weapon research.
14. Renewable Energy (late 1890s–early 1900s). Advocated for the use of renewable energy sources, including solar and wind power, long before they became mainstream.
Tesla championed renewable energy, advocating solar and wind power as limitless resources to replace fossil fuels. In works like “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy,” he outlined methods to harness natural forces, predicting their critical role in sustainable energy systems long before environmental concerns drove their mainstream adoption.
15. Conceptualization of Modern Technologies (articulated in writings and interviews, 1920s–1930s). Tesla foresaw smartphones, drones, and artificial intelligence, describing portable wireless devices for global communication, remote-controlled flying machines, and intelligent systems. His visionary ideas, shared in publications like The Century Magazine, anticipated technological revolutions decades before their practical realization in the late 20th century.
Creativity, Invention and Creative Method:
The nature of creativity and invention. Tesla considered inventions, which were an important product of the creative brain, as the most important factors in the progressive development of mankind. At the same time, he believed that creativity and invention express the true essence and nature of man and are the ultimate meaning and supreme purpose of his existence.
As he noted, “I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success . . . Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.”
As he noted, “I do not think there is any thrill that can go through the human heart like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success . . . Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything.”
Creativity as a gift and sudden inspiration. At the same time, he understood creativity as a gift and emphasized the role of inspiration and altered states of consciousness in the creative process.
He stated, “The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power. My Mother had taught me to seek all truth in the Bible.”
Tesla also acknowledged, “My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.” He also described moments of sudden inspiration, often in dream-like or trance states, where entire machines or principles would appear vividly before him.
He attached great importance in his work to the inner sense, the inventor, his intuition and intuitive flair. He observed, “But instinct is something which transcends knowledge. We have, undoubtedly, certain finer fibers that enable us to perceive truths when logical deduction, or any other willful effort of the brain, is futile.”
At the same time, Tesla believed that Providence, had endowed him with a protective mechanism, which got stronger year by year and which saved him many times throughout his life and career.
Creative visualization. Nikola Tesla had an extraordinary ability to visualize ideas with extreme precision, clarity and detail. Tesla noted: “I could see the images with such clarity that I could touch them.”
He emphasized that imagination and visualization were key to unlocking new possibilities in science and technology. Tesla practiced a form of visual thinking that allowed him to mentally construct and refine entire inventions without drawing or prototyping. Unlike most engineers, Tesla could see, rotate, and test his designs in his mind before ever building them.
Tesla described his creative process as one where he would “visualize an idea as a whole, see it in action, and then proceed to build it.” He claimed that he could even run these mental simulations to see how they would function in real life, identifying potential flaws and making adjustments before building anything physically.
This remarkable ability to visualize Tesla laid the foundation of his creative method, which allows you to clearly visualize his discoveries, even without the need for experiments, models, drawings.
Tesla’s Creative Method. Tesla referred to his ability to visualize as his “mental laboratory,” where he could conceptualize, design, and test inventions.
“My method is different,” wrote Tesla. “I do not rush into actual work. When I get an idea, I start at once building it up in my imagination. I change the construction, make improvements and operate the device in my mind. It is absolutely immaterial to me whether I run my turbine in thought or test it in my shop. I even note if it is out of balance. There is no difference whatever, the results are the same… Invariably my device works as I conceived that it should, and the experiment comes out exactly as I planned it. In twenty years, there has not been a single exception”.
In 1882, while walking with his friend Anthony Szigeti in a park in Budapest, Nikola Tesla experienced a sudden and vivid epiphany that led to his invention of the rotating magnetic field, the foundation of his induction motor and polyphase AC system.
The sun was just setting and reminded him of a glorious passage from Goethe’s Faust. At that age I knew entire books by heart, word for word. Tesla was likely reciting lines from Faust Part I, Scene I, about the setting sun:
“The glow retreats, done is the day of toil;
It yonder hastes, new fields of life exploring;
Ah, that no wing can lift me from the soil,
Upon its track to follow, follow soaring!”
Tesla himself described the event as follows:
“As I uttered these inspiring words the idea came like a flash of lightning and in an instant the truth was revealed. I drew with a stick on the sand the diagram shown six years later in my address before the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and my companion understood them perfectly. The images I saw were wonderfully sharp and clear and had the solidity of metal and stone, so much so that I told him, “See my motor here; watch me reverse it.” I cannot begin to describe my emotions. Pygmalion seeing his statue come to life could not have been more deeply moved. A thousand secrets of nature which I might have stumbled upon accidentally, I would have given for that one which I had wrested from her against all odds and at the peril of my existence …”
Tesla about Edison’s Method. “Edison was by far the most successful and, probably, the last exponent of the purely empirical method of investigation. Everything he achieved was the result of persistent trials and experiments often performed at random but always attesting extraordinary vigor and resource. Starting from a few known elements, he would make their combinations and permutations, tabulate them and run through the whole list, completing test after test with incredible rapidity until he obtained a clue. His mind was dominated by one idea, to leave no stone unturned, to exhaust every possibility.”
Creative conditions. Tesla always emphasized and confirmed by his life experience that creativity and originality thrive in solitude and seclusion, free of outside influences. “The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. No big laboratory is needed in which to think. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born”.
However, a true genius, in Tesla’s view, is self-validating, self-sustaining and adaptable, capable of overcoming obstacles and seeking out the right conditions to achieve its potential. “Genius is its own passport, and has always been ready to change habitats until the natural one is found.”
Creative power of will and self-regulation. Tesla’s belief in the inherent power of creative individuality, and the relentless pursuit of one’s passions. He claimed, “Let one concentrate all his energies in one single great effort, let him perceive a single truth, even though he be consumed by the sacred fire, then millions of less gifted men can easily follow.
Despite his belief in the existence of an external source of creative energy, Tesla from his youth nurtured in himself will, perseverance and self-control, believing that they are the means of awakening of his dormant creative power.
“At first my resolutions faded like snow in April, but in a little while I conquered my weakness and felt a pleasure I never knew before – that of doing as I willed. In the course of time this vigorous mental exercise became second to nature. At the outset my wishes had to be subdued but gradually desire and will grew to be identical. After years of such discipline, I gained so complete a mastery over myself that I toyed with passions which have meant destruction to some of the strongest men.”
Views on the Universe and Man. Tesla viewed the universe as a unified, interconnected system governed by fundamental laws of energy and vibration. “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”
He believed that everything in the cosmos—matter, energy, and life—was part of a grand, harmonious design”. He saw man as a part of this cosmic symphony, not separate from it, with the potential to harness universal forces through intellect and invention. “To me, the universe is simply a great machine which never came into being and never will end. The human being is no exception to the natural order. Man, like the universe, is a machine”. He often spoke of humanity’s potential to achieve greatness by aligning with these universal principles.
He believed that everything in the cosmos—matter, energy, and life—was part of a grand, harmonious design”. He saw man as a part of this cosmic symphony, not separate from it, with the potential to harness universal forces through intellect and invention. “To me, the universe is simply a great machine which never came into being and never will end. The human being is no exception to the natural order. Man, like the universe, is a machine”. He often spoke of humanity’s potential to achieve greatness by aligning with these universal principles.
Conceptions of Science and its Mission. Tesla believed that nothing is more captivating or worthy of study than nature. Understanding its mechanisms, forces, and governing laws is the highest pursuit of human intellect.
He saw science as a noble pursuit aimed at uncovering the truths of nature and improving the human condition. He viewed it as the ultimate means to serve humanity. “Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.”
He saw science as a noble pursuit aimed at uncovering the truths of nature and improving the human condition. He viewed it as the ultimate means to serve humanity. “Science is but a perversion of itself unless it has as its ultimate goal the betterment of humanity.”
To him, the true scientist was a visionary, not just a technician, dedicated to uncovering nature’s hidden laws for the common good. “The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter—for the future.”
The peculiarity of Tesla’s views on physical theory. Tesla rejected the idea that atoms consist of smaller subatomic particles like electrons generating electric charge, opposing theories of matter-energy conversion and criticizing Einstein’s relativity. Instead, he supported the 19th-century notion of an all-pervasive ether as the medium for electrical energy transmission.
For Tesla, the ether is a single undifferentiated field consisting of time, space and energy, and the result of resonating processes in the ether is the birth of matter.
He believed that “All perceptible matter comes from a primary substance, or tenuity beyond conception, filling all space, the akasha or luminiferous ether, which is acted upon by the life giving Prana or creative force, calling into existence, in never-ending cycles all things and phenomena”.
Awards and Honors
• Order of St. Sava (1892): Conferred by the King of Serbia.
• Elliott Cresson Medal (1894): Awarded by the Franklin Institute for his work on AC motors.
• Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Danilo I (Montenegro, 1895).
• Edison Medal (1917). Awarded by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers for his contributions to electrical engineering.
• Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown (Yugoslavia, 1931).
• John Scott Medal (Franklin Institute & Philadelphia City Council, US, 1934)
• Order of the White Eagle (1936)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion (Czechoslovakia, 1937)
The tesla (T), a unit of magnetic flux density, being named after him (adopted 1960).
• IEEE Nikola Tesla Award (1975): Established in his honor by the IEEE for outstanding contributions to the generation or utilization of electric power. he first recipient, Leon T. Rosenberg, received the award in 1976 for his work on large steam turbine-driven generators.
• Tesla, a 26-kilometer-wide crater on the far side of the moon and 2244 Tesla, a minor planet.
Numerous streets, statues (e.g., Niagara Falls, 2006), and the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (2013) commemorate his legacy.
• Member of the American Philosophical Society (US, 1896)
Named an honorary member of numerous scientific societies worldwide.
In 2003 American entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla Inc., the manufacturer of electric automobiles, solar panels, and batteries, in honor of the inventor.
Notable Publications
1. A New System of Alternate Current Motors and Transformers (AIEE Address, May 16, 1888). Tesla unveiled his AC induction motor and polyphase system to the world.
2. Experiments with Alternate Currents of High Potential and High Frequency (IEE Address, London, February 1892). He dazzled audiences with high-voltage AC tricks using his Tesla coil.
3. On Light and Other High Frequency Phenomena (Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, February 1893). Tesla explored how high-frequency AC could create light and other effects.
4. “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy” (1900)—Published in Century Magazine. Tesla laid out his grand vision for harnessing energy and connecting humanity. Explores harnessing natural forces (e.g., solar, cosmic rays), showcasing his futuristic vision.
5. The Transmission of Electrical Energy Without Wires (Electrical World, March 5, 1904). Tesla explained his Colorado Springs wireless power experiments.
6. “My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla” (1919). A series of articles originally published in the Electrical Experimenter magazine, providing insights into his life and work.
7. World System of Wireless Transmission of Energy (Telegraph and Telegraph Age, October 16, 1927) Tesla detailed his Wardenclyffe dream of global wireless power.
8. The New Art of Projecting Concentrated Non-dispersive Energy Through Natural Media (1935) Tesla described his “Teleforce” particle beam weapon.
9. Experiments with Alternate Currents of Very High Frequency and Their Application to Methods of Artificial Illumination (AIEE, May 20, 1891) Tesla showed how high-frequency AC could light up tubes and bulbs wirelessly.
10. Tesla’s New Monarch of Machines (New York Herald, October 15, 1911) He hyped his bladeless turbine as a game-changer for power.
Career and personal life:
Family Background. Nikola Tesla was born around midnight on July 10, 1856, during a fierce thunderstorm in Smiljan, Croatia. According to family legend, the midwife attending his birth viewed the storm as a bad omen and reportedly said, “This child will be a child of darkness.” In response, Tesla’s mother, Đuka Tesla, is said to have replied, “No. He will be a child of light.”
Tesla’s name, derived from the Slavic “Tesalj” (meaning “adze” or “carpenter”), reflects his family’s practical roots.
Tesla’s father, Milutin Tesla (1819-1879), was an Eastern Orthodox priest as well as a teacher, writer and poet. His father’s brother Josif was a lecturer at a military academy who wrote several textbooks on mathematics.
Tesla’s mother Georgina-Djuka (Mandic) Tesla (1822-1892) descended from one of the oldest families in Lika. Her father was also an Eastern Orthodox priest. She had a talent for making home craft tools and mechanical appliances and the ability to memorize Serbian epic poems. “My mother was an inventor of first order and would, I believe, have achieved great things had she not been so remote from modern life and its multifold opportunities”
His mother’s inventive spirit and his father’s intellectual pursuits, had a decisive influence on his development.
Tesla was the fourth of five children—Dane (older brother, died 1863 in a horse accident), Angelina, Milka, and younger sister Marica. Dane’s death when Nikola was 5-7 years old, profoundly affected Tesla, spurring his drive to excel. Marica Tesla (1858–1938), a beloved sister of Nikola, married Nikola Kosanovic and had five children. Their son, Sava Kosanovic, a Yugoslav diplomat, was among the few family members who spent time with Tesla in his later years.
Tesla was the fourth of five children—Dane (older brother, died 1863 in a horse accident), Angelina, Milka, and younger sister Marica. Dane’s death when Nikola was 5-7 years old, profoundly affected Tesla, spurring his drive to excel. Marica Tesla (1858–1938), a beloved sister of Nikola, married Nikola Kosanovic and had five children. Their son, Sava Kosanovic, a Yugoslav diplomat, was among the few family members who spent time with Tesla in his later years.
Early Life: Tesla grew up surrounded by nature, rural life and folk customs. Tesla displayed a vivid imagination, extraordinary photographic memory and mechanical aptitude from childhood. At age 5, he invented a small waterwheel powered by a stream, foreshadowing his fascination with energy.
Thanks to his father’s rich library, Tesla took an early interest in reading, but his father was angry when he caught him reading at night and hid candles so that his son would not spoil his eyesight. Tesla secretly made candles out of lard and read until morning, caulking the cracks and keyhole.
In early childhood, Tesla was weak and indecisive and extremely sensitive to certain stimuli. For example, at the sight of pearls he would have a kind of seizure. He often experienced the appearance of clear visions, sometimes accompanied by strong flashes of light,
Tesla was twelve years old when he was able by an act of will to subdue his visions and replace them with others.
“I soon discovered that my best comfort was attained if I simply followed my visions without effort. Thus began my mental journeys which have been continued to this day. Every night (and sometimes during the day), when alone, I would start on my travels—see new places, cities and countries—live there, meet people and make friendships and acquaintances and, however unbelievable, it is a fact that they were just as dear to me as those in actual life and not a bit less intense in their manifestations.”
Later, this remarkable ability to visualization Tesla put in the basis of his creative method, allowing to clearly visualize his discoveries, even without the need for experiments, models, drawings.
When he was a boy of seven or eight, he read a book that had a profound effect on him. “The possibilities of will-power and self-control appealed tremendously to my vivid imagination, and I began to discipline myself… Had I some difficult task before me which was exhausting I would attack it again and again until it was done. So I practiced day by day from morning till night. At first it called for a vigorous mental effort directed against disposition and desire, but as years went by the conflict lessened and finally my will and wish became identical.”
Despite his early success at school and obvious interest in experimenting with mechanical devices, Tesla’s father was determined that young Nikola would become a minister.
He graduated in 1873 after completing a four-year term in three years. Tesla returned to Smiljan and developed cholera shortly after arriving. He was bedridden for nine months, and came close to death several times.
“In one of the sinking spells”, Tesla recalled, “which was thought to be the last, my father rushed into the room. I still see his pallid face as he tried to cheer me in tones belying his assurance. “Perhaps,” I said, “I may get well if you will let me study engineering.” “You will go to the best technical institution in the world,” he solemnly replied, and I knew that he meant it. A heavy weight was lifted from my mind.… I came to life like Lazarus to the utter amazement of everybody”.
Later he wrote, “As I review the events of my past life I realize how subtle are the influences that shape our destinies.”
After recovering from his illness, Tesla dodged the Austro-Hungarian Army draft by hightailing it to the mountains. He later said that living in nature made him both physically and mentally stronger.
Education Background
1856–1862: Informal education at home in Smiljan and Gospić, learning from his parents. Thus, Nikola noted: “These daily lessons were intended to strengthen memory and reason and especially to develop the critical sense, and were undoubtedly very beneficial.
In 1861, Tesla attended primary school in Smiljan where he studied German, arithmetic, and religion.
1862–1870: Primary and secondary schooling in Gospić, Croatia. In 1862, the Tesla family moved to the nearby town of Gospić, where Tesla’s father worked as parish priest. Nikola completed primary school, followed by middle school, where he excelling in mathematics and physics.
1870–1873: Attended Gymnasium Karlovac in Croatia. Tesla moved to Karlovac in 1870 to attend the Higher Real Gymnasium, where classes were taught in German as it was usual throughout schools within the Austro-Hungarian Military Frontier. There he excelled in mathematics and physics.
1875–1878: Graz University of Technology. At age 19, after recovering from cholera and avoiding military conscription in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Tesla enrolled in Graz University of Technology (then Austrian Polytechnic) in 1875 on a Military Frontier scholarship. Tesla passed nine exams (nearly twice as many as required and received a letter of commendation from the dean of the technical faculty to his father, which stated, “Your son is a star of first rank.”
At Graz, Tesla got caught up in the detailed lectures on electricity presented by Professor Jakob Pöschl and described how he made suggestions on improving the design of an electric motor the professor was demonstrating.
During his second year, Tesla takes up gambling, a habit that negatively affects his studies. In his third year at Graz, Tesla loses his scholarship. He had suffered a nervous breakdown and left Graz in early 1878 without a degree.
Then he was accosted by police for lack of a residence permit and Nikola forced to return to his hometown. Three weeks after returning home, his father died.
1880–1881: Charles-Ferdinand University, Prague—attended lectures informally. Tesla’s uncles eventually gathered enough resources to allow him to study in Prague, and he agreed. He arrived in Prague in 1880 to pursue a degree at Karl-Ferdinand University, but this attempt at education was also unsuccessful.
He attended for the summer term of 1880, however, attended lectures in philosophy at the university as an auditor. Here he was greatly influenced by the lectures of Ernst Mach. He did not receive grades for the courses a not earn a formal diploma.
Scientific Career and Contributions
1881-1821: Hungarian Telephone Exchange, Budapest—Engineer.
At the age of 25, in 1881, Tesla moved to Budapest, Hungary and took to work at the telephone exchange. He was soon promoted to chief electrician, making improvements to the station equipment and perfecting an amplifier.
Indeed, in Budapest, the idea for the induction motor first came to Tesla.
1882–1884: Continental Edison Company, Paris—Electrical Engineer.
In 1882 he took a job at the Continental Edison Company in Paris. Tesla began working in what was then a brand-new industry, installing indoor incandescent lighting citywide in large scale electric power utility. It was here that he began to develop in-depth his idea of the induction motor and visualized AC concepts. During this time, he also worked on the first Edison utilities being built around France and in Germany.
In 1882 he took a job at the Continental Edison Company in Paris. Tesla began working in what was then a brand-new industry, installing indoor incandescent lighting citywide in large scale electric power utility. It was here that he began to develop in-depth his idea of the induction motor and visualized AC concepts. During this time, he also worked on the first Edison utilities being built around France and in Germany.
In 1884, Edison manager Charles Batchelor, who had been overseeing the Paris installation, was brought back to the United States and asked that Tesla be brought to the United States as well.
1884: Edison Machine Works, New York City—Engineer. He was hired by Thomas Edison on June 6, 1884, to improve DC generators; resigned in 1885 over a bonus dispute ($50,000 promised, unpaid).
Young Nikola Tesla came to the United States in 1884 with an introduction letter from Charles Batchelor to Thomas Edison: “I know two great men,” wrote Batchelor, “one is you and the other is this young man.”
There he worked briefly under a famed inventor, but after disputes with him over bonus pay for creating such inventions, he quit after six months and began freestyling his career as an inventor and engineer.
1884–1886: Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing; founder and developer of arc-light based lighting systems.
After leaving Edison’s employ in mid-1884, Tesla partnered with Robert Lane and Benjamin Vail to form Tesla Electric Light & Manufacturing in Rahway, New Jersey. He designed an arc lighting system and dynamos, securing his first U.S. patents (1886).
However, his investors focused on arc lighting and disregarded his ideas for AC motors, leading to Tesla leaving the company in 1886.
At this time Tesla was left with no income and he had to work at various electrical repair jobs and as a ditch digger for $2 per day. He recalled: “There were many days when [I] did not know where my next meal was coming from. But I was never afraid to work, I went where some men were digging a ditch”.
April 1887 – Early 1889 Tesla Electric Company, New York—Founder. AC motor development
The following year, Tesla made a comeback. He found new private investors experienced in profiting from novel inventions. Together they formed the Tesla Electric Company in New York City in April 1887. Here, Tesla developed his groundbreaking AC induction motor and polyphase AC system, filing patents in 1887–1888. Tesla building and installing the system in Rahway, New Jersey and conducted his early wireless energy experiments.
The company operated until Tesla licensed these patents to Westinghouse in July 1888, after which his focus shifted, effectively winding down his direct involvement by early 1889.
July 1888 – Mid-1889 Westinghouse Electric Company, Pittsburgh— (AC system consulting). George Westinghouse hired Tesla as a consultant after purchasing his AC motor patents for $60,000 in cash and stock, plus royalties in July 1888. Tesla partnered with George Westinghouse to implement AC power, which played a crucial role in the War of Currents against Thomas Edison.
Two years after signing the Tesla contract, Westinghouse Electric faced financial trouble.
Frustrated by conflicts with engineers over implementation his ideas, he left around mid-1889, returning to his own research in New York. Westinghouse later supported him financially in the 1930s.
Early 1889 – Ongoing through 1943. New York: Independent inventor
After leaving Westinghouse in mid-1889, Tesla returned to New York and set up his own laboratory, initially at 175 Grand Street. The income from licensing his AC patents made Tesla wealthy, giving him the means to pursue his interests.
He established his own laboratories in New York City, conducting experiments on high-frequency currents, X-rays, and wireless communication. Tesla and his hired staff conducted some of his most significant work in these workshops. He focused on wireless power transmission, high-frequency electrical currents, and radio waves.
His most famous experiments included the Tesla coil (1891) and early radio transmission.
Lab fire. On March 13, 1895, a fierce fire in the South Fifth Avenue building destroyed Tesla’s 4th-floor lab, collapsing it into the second floor. Starting in the basement, it delayed his projects and wiped out early notes, research, models, and demos.
Niagara Falls Project (1893-1896)
In 1893, the Niagara Falls Cataract Construction Company, awarded a contract to Westinghouse Electric for building an AC generating system at the Niagara Falls. Tesla collaborated with George Westinghouse to design the AC power system, including transformers and generators.
On November 16, 1896, the first large-scale AC power plant at Niagara Falls began transmitting electricity 20 miles to Buffalo, New York, proving AC’s efficiency for long-distance power distribution. This milestone solidified Tesla’s legacy in electrical engineering.
Colorado Springs: (May 1899 – Jan 1900) (focused on wireless power experiments). In 1899 moved to Colorado Springs to conduct high-voltage experiments with wireless energy transmission and atmospheric electricity. Tesla arrived in Colorado Springs on May 18, 1899, and, in just two weeks, his team had set up a rudimentary laboratory—a simple wooden shed featuring two windows and a large door. Above the entrance, he boldly inscribed a haunting quote from Dante’s Divine Comedy: “You who enter here, leave all hope behind.”
Nikola Tesla’s time in Colorado Springs, the area which had an abundance of lightning storms, marked one of the most productive and innovative periods of his career.
He built a massive coil (Magnifying Transmitter) and generated artificial lightning over 40 meters long and al theorized the possibility of global wireless power transmission.
His Key Work and Achievements in Colorado Springs were: Wireless Transmission of Energy, Experiments with Resonance, Receiving Radio Signals (Tesla even claimed to have received extraterrestrial signals), Research on Terrestrial Waves and Earth resonance.
One of Tesla’s most notable accomplishments during his time in Colorado Springs was generating artificial lightning discharges of such immense power that they triggered local power outages.
Nevertheless, despite the groundbreaking progress he made, Tesla was compelled to abandon his work in Colorado Springs prematurely due to mounting financial pressures, leaving his ambitious projects unfinished.
1901–1906: Built Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, Long Island, New York.
Tesla began his ambitious Wardenclyffe project on Long Island, aiming to create a global wireless communication system and provide free energy via a massive metal tower. Tesla aimed provide tools for transmitting images, messages, weather alerts, and stock updates.
In 1901, Tesla obtained $150,000 ($5,669,400 in today’s dollars) from J. P. Morgan in return for a 51% share of any generated wireless patents.
Project failed due to lack of funding. Doubts from investors led to the project’s abandonment in 1906 and by 1917, Tesla declared bankruptcy, and the tower was dismantled and sold for scrap to settle his debts.
1906 -1943: Independent Researcher. After the closure of the project Wordencliffe in 1905, Tesla as a scientist appeared anonymously.
In 1906, Tesla opened offices at 165 Broadway in Manhattan, trying to raise further funds by developing and marketing his patents. He went on to have offices in different districts in New York from 1910 to 1928, but by 1928 he no longer had a laboratory or funding.
Tesla’s relationship with Edison: “War of Currents”
Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison had a complex, often contentious relationship defined by mutual respect, rivalry, and fundamentally opposing visions for electricity.
Their famous “War of the Currents” was a battle over the future of electrical power in the late 19th century, with Edison promoting direct current (DC) and Tesla advocating for alternating current (AC).
Tesla had been working at the Edison Machine Works for a total of six months when he quit. Historian W. Bernard Carlson notes Tesla may have met company founder Thomas Edison only a couple of times. It may have been over a bonus he did not receive, either for redesigning generators or for the arc lighting system that was shelved.
There is the unconfirmed story, that Edison allegedly promised Tesla $50,000 (equivalent to over $1.5 million today) if he could improve his DC generators. Tesla did the work, but when he asked for his reward, Edison laughed and said, “You don’t understand American humor.”
As interest in alternating current (AC) grew, Tesla and Westinghouse competed directly with Thomas Edison, who promoted his direct-current (DC) system and launched a negative press campaign to discredit AC power.
Thomas Edison, who worked only in direct current (DC), pushed his propaganda that alternating current was dangerous and impractical for home use.
He famously electrocuted animals in the street, including dogs, horses, and one Topsy the elephant, in an attempt to publicly discredit the superior AC technology.
In 1893, Westinghouse won the contract to light the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where Tesla showcased his AC system. In 1896, Tesla and Westinghouse built the first major hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls, securing AC as the world’s electrical standard.
This event marked a significant setback for Edison’s efforts. Tesla was once richer than Edison but died penniless due to his lack of business sense, while Edison died wealthy. Tesla may have lost in business, but in the long run, his vision powered the world. In any way, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, both left indelible marks on history.
In later years, Edison admitted AC’s value and praised Tesla, calling him a great inventor.
Nikola Tesla wrote about Thomas Alva Edison “I was amazed at this man, who, without thorough education or scientific experience did so much.”
“The recurrence of a phenomenon like [Thomas] Edison is not very likely… He will occupy a unique and exalted position in the history of his native land, which might well be proud of his great genius and undying achievements in the interest of humanity.”
Personal Life
A lifelong bachelor he led a somewhat isolated existence, devoting his full energies to science and invention.
Tesla believing that lonely life fueled his creativity: “I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men.” Rumored romances existed, but Tesla prioritized his work over personal relationships.
In the 1890s Nikola Tesla cut a dashing figure as a young, eligible bachelor. Tesla was possessed of a striking physical appearance over six feet tall with deep set eyes and a noble demeanor. His wealth, talent, and numerous achievements earned him widespread acclaim. Always impeccably dressed, he carried himself with a quiet, understated modesty. In doing so there have been numerous accounts of women vying for Tesla’s affection, even some madly in love with him.
Tesla had a close relationship with his mother, and after her death, he maintained a strong bond with his sisters, supporting them financially when possible.
Tesla had a close relationship with his mother, and after her death, he maintained a strong bond with his sisters, supporting them financially when possible.
Tesla maintained close friendships with notable figures like John Jacob Astor, Katharine Johnson and Mark Twain, with whom he spent much time in his lab.
He became close friends with Mark Twain after claiming that reading author Mark Twain’s writing helped him recover from a terrible illness.
In 1896, at a party hosted by Sarah Bernhardt, Tesla met Swami Vivekananda, who noted Tesla’s claim of mathematically linking matter and energy, aligning with Vedantic ideas.
On 30 July 1891, aged 35, Tesla became a naturalized citizen of the United States and in the same year, he patented his Tesla coil.
In 1906 he suffered a nervous breakdown following the failure of his wireless power project.
Tesla has spent most of his money, and drifted between New York hotels, consistently departing with unpaid bills. In 1934 At this time Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company began paying him $125 (equivalent to $2,940 in 2025) per month in addition to paying his rent.
The payment has been described as being couched as a “consulting fee” to get around Tesla’s aversion to accepting charity.
The payment has been described as being couched as a “consulting fee” to get around Tesla’s aversion to accepting charity.
In his later years, Tesla devoted much of his time to caring for wild pigeons in New York City parks. He fed them daily, both at the park and from his hotel window, and took great care in nursing injured birds back to health. Tesla claimed that one white pigeon visited him every day.
Tesla stated:
“I have been feeding pigeons, thousands of them, for years. But there was one, a beautiful bird, pure white with light grey tips on its wings; that one was different. It was a female. I had only to wish and call her, and she would come flying to me. I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life”.
In these years, Tesla preferred to work in seclusion, away from the public eye.
But on his 75th birthday, Tesla received congratulations from figures in science and engineering such as Albert Einstein, Sir Oliver Lodge, and many others. Tesla also was featured on the cover of Time magazine, with the cover caption “All the world’s his power house”.
Over time, his ideas grew increasingly bold, eccentric and impractical.
Thus, Tesla claimed he had invented a motor that would run on cosmic rays and an oscillator that could destroy the Empire State Building. He told to reporters that he was on the verge of producing proof of a new form of energy. He also told that working on breakthroughs in metallurgy, and developing a way to photograph the retina to record thought.
In 1934 he claimed that he had designed a superweapon, “teleforce”, or death ray that would end all war.
At age 81 he claimed in a letter to have completed a “dynamic theory of gravity” that “would put an end to idle speculations and false conceptions, as that of curved space”.
At the same time, however, as a mature scientist, he came to some fundamental conclusions.
Here are some of his brilliant predictions:
Here are some of his brilliant predictions:
1. When wireless is fully applied the earth will be converted into a huge brain, capable of response in every one of its parts.
2. An inexpensive instrument, not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear anywhere, on sea or land, music or song, the speech of a political leader.
3. The hard work of the future will be pushing buttons.
In the fall of 1937, at the age of 81, Tesla was struck by a taxicab while crossing a street near the Hotel New Yorker late one night. The accident left him with a back injury and three broken ribs. True to his lifelong habit of refusing medical assistance, he never fully recovered from the incident.
On January 7, 1943, at age 86, Tesla died alone in Room 3327 of the Hotel New Yorker.
On 10 January 1943, New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia read a eulogy and on 12 January, two thousand people attended a state funeral for Tesla at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan. After Tesla’s death all his papers, diplomas, letters, and his laboratory notes were inherited by Tesla’s nephew, Sava Kosanovich, and later housed in the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.
His resting place: Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade, Serbia
Personality Traits, Character, Individuality
1. Workability. Tesla exhibited intense focus (working 20-hour days) obsessive, devotion to his work, and was known for his intense work ethic, creativity, discipline and focus.
He claimed to sleep only two hours each night, although he would doze off occasionally during the day.
Tesla worked every day from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. or later, with dinner at a very specific 8:10 p.m. Tesla would then resume his work, often until 3:00 a.m. There was a time when he was so deeply immersed in a creative flow that he worked nonstop for an 84 hours.
2. Perseverance, persistence, courage. He faced numerous challenges and setbacks but continued to pursue his ideas.
3. Intelligence and Creativity. Known for his exceptional intelligence, futuristic vision, creative and innovative thinking, boundless imagination.
4. Visualization skills. Ability to visualize and construct complicated objects in his mind’s eye. visualize complex machinery in his mind.
5. Eidetic, photographic Memory. Possessed an exceptional memory, which he credited to his mother’s influence. He could recall things he had seen once with exquisite detail and even memorize entire books with ease.
6. Philanthropic ideals. Tesla was profoundly dedicated to the advancement and improvement of humanity. He believing technology should benefit humanity rather than enrich individuals.
7. Deep philosophical convictions. Viewing invention as a catalyst for human progress and advocating science as a force for societal benefit. Tesla was intrigued by Eastern philosophies, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism.
8. Mastery of polyglot languages. He was fluent in eight languages, including Serbo-Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Latin.
“I learned a dozen languages,” wrote Tesla, “studied literature and arts, spent my best years in libraries reading everything that came my way, and though I sometimes felt I was losing time, I quickly realized it was the best thing I ever did
9. Art lover. He was well-read, enjoyed poetry and literature and e often referenced works of art and literature in his conversations. He loved and memorized complete Goethe’s Faust.
He also appreciated the writings of Dante, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain. Tesla is known to have expressed admiration for the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach.
Tesla was known to be well-read, having studied literature and poetry extensively
10. Healthy Lifestyle. Tesla was conscious of his health. He believed a healthy body was necessary to sustain a sharp mind.
Tesla walked between 8 and 10 miles (13 and 16 km) per day. He curled his toes one hundred times for each foot every night, saying that it stimulated his brain cells.
Tesla became a vegetarian in his later years, living on only milk, bread, honey, and vegetable juices.
Despite his eccentricity, many people spoke very positively and admiringly of Tesla. Robert Underwood Johnson described him as attaining a “distinguished sweetness, sincerity, modesty, refinement, generosity, and force”. Tesla’s friend Julian Hawthorne wrote, “seldom did one meet a scientist or engineer who was also a poet, a philosopher, an appreciator of fine music, a linguist, and a connoisseur of food and drink”.
Zest and interesting facts:
Tesla had many unusual quirks and phobias.
1. He considered three to be a sacred number. Tesla claimed, “If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have the key to the universe.” He always stayed in a hotel room with a number divisible by three. He lived the last ten years of his life in suite 3327 on the 33rd floor of the New Yorker Hotel.
When taking his daily swim at the public pool, he always swam 33 laps, but if he lost count he started over from beginning.
It was his habit to wash his hands three times in a row, and he walked around a building three times before entering it. When leaving a building he had to turn right only, and walk around the entire block.
Tesla described his habits this way.
All repeated acts or operations I performed had to be divisible by three and if I missed I felt impelled to do it all over again, even if it took hours.
I counted the steps in my walks and calculated the cubical contents of soup plates, coffee cups and pieces of food otherwise my meal was unenjoyable
It’s also reported that he would count his jaw movements when chewing food.
2. Tesla was physically revolted by jewelry, notably pearl earrings. He refused to touch anyone’s hair.
3. He was also intensely preoccupied with germs. Known for his meticulous attention to cleanliness and hygiene, he was, by all accounts, mysophobic. He feared germs so deeply that he washed his hands obsessively and avoided shaking hands when meeting others.
4. He liked a fresh tablecloth with every meal and polished every dining implement he used to perfection, demanded three folded cloth napkins beside his plate at every meal using 18 napkins.
5. Always a fastidious dresser, he wore new gloves weekly and a new tie daily.
6. Tesla was an animal-lover, often reflecting contentedly about a childhood cat, “The Magnificent Mačak.” Had a particular fondness for pigeons and reportedly spent hours feeding them in parks. Tesla found his soulmate in a very special white pigeon.
7. Impractical in financial matters. He never attached much importance to money. At some periods of his life, he had a million-dollar fortune, but all his money he invested in inventions. He spent his later years in financial hardship despite his tremendous contributions to technology. Tesla’s biographer Robert Lomas wrote, “Being an honest man himself, Tesla trusted nearly everyone he met… and almost all of them ripped him off.”
It’s reported that Tesla started showing symptoms of OCD (Obsessive compulsive disorder) around 1917.
However, he succeeded in channeling his obsessive tendencies, integrating them into the framework of his personality and even harnessing them to enhance his creative endeavors. He believed that “Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more”
His strong Ego, unwavering will, and self-cultivated ability to self-regulate played crucial roles in this process.
His inexhaustible passion for work and continuous creativity became the dominant force that was both fueled and enriched by his ability to acknowledge and master his peculiarities.
His inexhaustible passion for work and continuous creativity became the dominant force that was both fueled and enriched by his ability to acknowledge and master his peculiarities.
Tesla’s originality, along with his unique traits and habits, was instrumental in driving his remarkable achievements and groundbreaking discoveries.
Links:
biography.com, wikipedia.org, scienceme.com, nikolateslalegend.com, ocduk.org
