There are few people who have not heard of such a person as Nikola Tesla. Secret inventions, secrets, interesting experiments and discoveries ahead of their time - this is what immediately comes to mind. The scientist’s personality is also mysterious. Was this man crazy or genius?
Birth and childhood
Most people know about Leonardo da Vinci, who is considered to be a genius. And, perhaps, Nikola Tesla became his worthy successor at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries. The biography of this scientist always starts the same way: he was born on July 10, 1856 in the mountain village of Smiljan, which at that time was in the Austrian Empire, and now belongs to Croatia. Nikola was the fourth child in the family of a Serbian Orthodox priest, and after the death of his older brother as a result of an accident in 1861, he remained the only son. He finished the first class here, in the village where he was born.
Later, the family moved to Gospic, a larger city, where the future great scientist Nikola Tesla graduated from three more elementary school classes. In 1873 he received a certificate of maturity, having studied at the Higher Real School in the city of Karlovac. His family remained in Gospic, where he returned after receiving basic education.
Education and further work
Having overcome cholera and avoiding the obligation to do military service, having escaped to the mountains, Nikola thought about further education. Despite the fact that the father wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, Nikola preferred the natural sciences, which he gravitated towards for a long time. In 1875 he entered the Higher Technical School in Graz and
focused on the study of electrical engineering. After working for some time as a teacher in Gospic, where his family lived, he went to Prague to continue his education. But he studied at the Faculty of Philosophy for only a semester, after which he set about searching for work.
In 1879, he got a job at a telegraph company in Budapest, where he worked for the next three years. At the same time, he began his own research in the field of electrical engineering. In 1882, Tesla moved to France and moved to the Paris branch of the Edison Continental Company, and two years later quit because he did not receive the expected prize for introducing some extremely useful innovations.
Emigration to the USA
After some time, he returned to the same company, but now flew to New York. Officially, his position was called "Engineer for the repair of electric motors and DC generators." In 1885, Edison suggested Nicole to improve some of the appliances for a premium of 50 thousand. The young scientist enthusiastically took up the matter and after a while suggested several options for solving the problem, but did not receive the money. Thomas Edison refused to pay them, saying that it was just a joke. Tesla immediately quit and founded his own company.
By that time he had already gained some fame and possessed enough
a large number of patents. Having sold them, he received a sufficient amount to equip an excellent laboratory for further development. In 1899, Nikola Tesla, whose biography interests people all over the world so far, moved to the city of Colorado Springs, located in the central part of the United States. Subsequently, this locality became famous not least due to the fact that for a long time the laboratory of a famous scientist was located here. At the end of the same year, another laboratory was opened - this time in New York. But soon, due to lack of funds, it had to be closed.
Areas of work
This scientist left behind numerous works and secrets. Nikola Tesla was one of the greatest minds of his time, and yet some people think that this man was a crazy charlatan, hungry for fame and money. This is not entirely true, since the scientist’s lifestyle does not confirm this.
Tesla was interested in many scientific fields, but first of all he was interested in electrical engineering and electronics. In addition, he was engaged in research in various fields of physics and engineering. In relation to this, he was also interested in processes occurring in the atmosphere, in addition, he studied the phenomenon of resonance. As a result, the works of Nikola Tesla gave a powerful impetus to the development of many disciplines, and its development is relevant even today, especially
concerns the least known and literally mythical inventions. In addition, far from all the manuscripts of the scientist have survived to the present day. Firstly, some records the Serb simply burned, considering his inventions too dangerous for humanity, and some works by Nikola Tesla, as it is believed, were seized by the US government after the death of a genius.
Developments and Achievements
Over the entire period of his scientific career, the scientist has received several hundred patents worldwide, about a hundred of them in the United States. Since the main area of his interests was electrical engineering, the works and inventions of Nikola Tesla mainly concerned the study of electric current and various devices.
Perhaps the most significant of his developments were the following:
- Learning AC. He studied the effect of electricity on the body, experimenting on himself, and thereby laid the foundation for modern safety techniques, as well as new treatment methods. In addition, he invented high-frequency current generators and a transformer, which until now many people call simply "Tesla coil".
- He described the phenomenon of a rotating magnetic field, thereby supplementing the theory of fields. He created multiphase electric machines, received patents for them.
- In an effort to improve the bulb invented by Edison, he created neon and fluorescent lights.
- He created the first wave radio transmitter, worked on the transmission of signals and energy without the help of wires.
- Invented a water pump, and on its basis - a dynamo machine.
- Designed an induction motor.
It was the Tesla company in 1893 that got the right to deal with the coverage of a major fair in Chicago. Prior to this, not a single project of comparable scale was implemented.
The Wordencliff project is also widely known. For its implementation of Tesla
He turned to a banker for financing and received a huge sum for those times, as well as a plot of land on Long Island. It was assumed that the scientist will create a new type of communication that does not require wires and allows the transmission of various information over vast distances. A tower was built and a series of experiments was carried out, after which the investor stopped funding due to the fact that the scientist misinformed him about the field of his work - the banker was not at all interested in transferring electricity from one continent to another. The expensive project was closed, and this was the beginning of the end of a scientist's career.
In addition to the well-known inventions and works, there were others - unconfirmed, incomprehensible and mysterious. They were so incomprehensible to contemporaries of the inventor that they talked as if the scientist had sold his soul to the devil. No documentary evidence has been preserved, but rumors about Tesla's involvement in the Tunguska explosion, the invention of an electric vehicle that takes energy literally from nowhere, and other, no less mysterious instruments and experiments are still in use.
Personality
As a child, Tesla was distinguished by some oddities. Pearls, peaches, sheets of paper, which were dipped in water, caused an inadequate reaction in him. Also, the child loved to read and had a wonderful memory. The boy loved outdoor games, and later - sports competitions. It was unlikely then that someone could predict that in the future his work would become world famous.
It was strange that in his youth, Nicola was distinguished by seriousness. He devoted himself entirely to science and in life was a lonely person. He was never married and generally abandoned his personal life. After gaining fame, Tesla was popular with women, they often hopelessly fell in love with a scientist. And this is no wonder - he was distinguished by a rather presentable appearance, and besides, it was none other than the famous inventor Nikola Tesla. The biography of the scientist was repeatedly studied by historians, and most of them came to the conclusion that his rejection of his personal life was absolute. But there were platonic hobbies - so, he kept the scarf of the great Sarah Bernhardt, whom he met several times.
Despite the fact that the inventions of Nikola Tesla are of great interest, his figure itself is still quite mysterious. Unlike many other engineers, the scientist originally constructed all his inventions in his mind, only then tested his thoughts and ideas in practice. This method is quite unusual and is not suitable for everyone. He worked on himself and constantly studied, not knowing tired and not giving himself a break. The researcher tested everything, even the most seemingly absurd, of his ideas and relied on intuition. It was this perseverance, lively mind, curiosity and self-belief that gave rise to some of the famous inventions of Nikola Tesla. In doing so, he paid
attention and physical health. Perhaps this is precisely what allowed the scientist to live to a fairly advanced age.
In addition, Tesla was characterized by some, to put it mildly, eccentricity. So, he did not tolerate handshakes and generally contact with people. The hotel staff where the scientist lived could not get close to him. But he loved the pigeons, fed them and talked with them. Birds and science replaced him with women, he did not even think about getting married.
The scientist also had a tendency to some eccentricity. He wore collars and gloves exactly once and then ruthlessly threw them away. And from his performances at exhibitions, he sometimes did real shows. So, in 1893, in order to prove that the statement about the dangers of alternating current for a person is wrong, Tesla passed about two million volts through his body. And at the same time, not only survived, contrary to fears, but also remained completely unharmed. As this story perfectly shows, Tesla, one might say, strove to demonstrate the results of his developments as graphically and effectively as possible. Some shocking was not alien to him.
Life ending
Despite the fact that the development of Nikola Tesla was not safe, it was not this that killed the scientist. At a fairly advanced age, just before the outbreak of World War II, he was hit by a car, and he received a broken rib. The scientist was bedridden for a long time and was very worried about his homeland, which, of course, did not add to his health. In early January 1943, the scientist died in a hotel room in New York. The official cause of death was called heart failure. Tesla was 86 years old.
The body was cremated, and the ashes are now in the Belgrade Museum named after him. Without leaving a monetary inheritance, since he spent all his money on development and experiments, the scientist gave the descendants something more valuable - knowledge that was tens and hundreds of years ahead of his time.
Significance in history, use of works
It is believed that the brilliant scientist Nikola Tesla, whose biography and inventions are still the subject of careful study, has long gone ahead of his time and
laid the foundation for the development of modern electrical technologies.
Without his discoveries, the world, perhaps, would have been somewhat different, because some things that had already become familiar would not exist, and technological progress could have taken a different path. Some of his developments, records of which were not preserved, anticipated the inventions of recent years and decades. So, one of the last patents received by a scientist contained information about an aircraft that combined the features of an airplane and a helicopter. Who knows, maybe soon such a device will be designed and firmly enter into life. Tesla himself simply did not have enough finance to build a prototype.
A radar, a remote control, some types of light bulbs - this is just a small list of what you would have to do without if you didn’t make the Serbian genius your great discoveries. And one can only imagine how many there would be, people would take him a little more seriously. What is only the famous Tesla fuel-free engine . The circuit of this device is the subject of work of many scientists and simply enthusiasts, because it should be quite simple, since it could be constructed at that level of technology. In addition, the question remains open about the source of energy that fed the generator of Nikola Tesla. According to the scientist himself, he was ether. Was it a public rally by genius or was it something that is not yet accessible to modern physicists and engineers? In any case, the followers are still trying to repeat some of the experiments and developments of the scientist, based on the description of the experiments. Unfortunately, few can boast of at least some success.
The experiments of Nikola Tesla brought the world many wonderful devices, gave rise to many branches of physics, and advanced science forward. And the world still wonders if this man was a genius or crazy - his interests, experiences and developments were so unusual. Perhaps that is why people still have not forgotten Nikola Tesla.
Secret inventions
The name of the scientist was surrounded by numerous rumors. His figure was always fanned by a certain halo of mystery, which only added to his popularity. And not the least role was played by amazing inventions and experiments, which at the current level of development of science are still impossible to explain or repeat.
Popular rumor compiles the most incredible and wide lists, which include the secret and literally mythical inventions of Nikola Tesla. The most famous among them is the legendary ray of death, about which amazing legends still circulate. There is a version according to which initially it was a kind of concentrated energy that could put an end to the war. In the future, newspaper men somewhat distorted the scientist’s words, and that is how the most famous legend about the death ray appeared, which can bring down planes at great distances and kill hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It’s impossible to say exactly what the device Tesla talked about now - after his death all the documents related to his designs disappeared. And during his lifetime, he did not provide any evidence of the existence of "death rays."
Popular rumor also ascribes to the scientist an important role in the Tunguska phenomenon. As you know, the incident that occurred on June 30, 1908 was never fully investigated, it is believed that the meteorite was the cause of the powerful explosion, but its remains were not found. According to one version, everything that happened is the result of one of Tesla's experiments on the transfer of energy to a distance. If so, then perhaps it can be considered successful.
In addition, there is much talk about Tesla's participation in the famous Philadelphia experiment, during which the ship and about two hundred people on it moved several kilometers in space. The U.S. Navy denies conducting such an experiment, so rumors about it are more likely to relate to urban legends. Be that as it may, the participation of the Serbian genius in the Philadelphia experiment is more than doubtful, because, it is believed, it was carried out in October 1943, and the scientist died in early January.
They talked a lot about the fact that Tesla achieved some success in creating structures from cold plasma. Allegedly, the scientist received luminous balls about the size of a soccer ball, could easily carry them in his hands, put them in a box, and at the same time remained unscathed. The structures were stable for several minutes. There is reason to believe that these were ball lightning, although, of course, there is no exact information. Most likely, people are simply used to linking the most mysterious and unusual rumors with what Nikola Tesla did. It seems like everyone just wants to believe in miracles.
Mentions in culture, perpetuation of memory
The mystery of the figure of the physicist continues to excite the minds of ordinary people even now. A great heritage, strange behavior, extreme secrecy - all this helps Tesla to remain in people's memory even many decades after death.
So, the scientist appeared in the film "Prestige", which tells about two rival magicians. And interest in his inventions appearing in the film only warms up - they are so mysterious, although it is obvious that this is an artistic fiction. In fact, in life, a scientist never worked on the problem of teleporting people. At least there has never been accurate information about this.
Streets in several cities, the airport are named after him. He figures on Serbian banknotes and commemorative coins, monuments are erected to him. In addition, an innovative American company engaged in the development of electric vehicles took its name in honor of the person who created the prototype of an engine operating on current energy. It is easy to guess that the company is called Tesla Motors. And she is already known all over the world.
In addition, many devices still in everyday life simply bear the name of their inventor, who was Nikola Tesla. A coil, a generator, an engine and many other devices help to keep the name of the Serbian genius in people's memory.
And, perhaps, the main tribute to the memory of the great scientist - in the SI system, the unit of measurement of magnetic induction is called "tesla". So this mysterious genius will remain in people's minds for a long time. And who knows how his developments will be used in the future. Perhaps, even with the current development of science, it is not yet possible to fully appreciate the entire heritage.