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Nikola Tesla
1856–1943 · Inventor & Engineer
A visionary inventor whose work on alternating current powers the modern world, Tesla imagined wireless communication and energy decades ahead of his time.
“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
Tesla could memorize entire books and visualize inventions in his mind so precisely that he could build them without writing anything down.
Why is this scientist famous?
Pioneering alternating current (AC) electricity and numerous electrical inventions.
Tesla championed alternating current (AC) electricity — the system that delivers power to your home. He also pioneered wireless communication and radio technology. The AC electricity in your wall outlets, the induction motors in electric cars, and the wireless charging pads on your desk all trace back to his inventions. He imagined a world powered wirelessly, a dream that is slowly becoming real.
Nikola's story
Early Life
Born during a lightning storm in the village of Smiljan, in what is now Croatia. Tesla credited his inventive mind to his mother, who invented small appliances despite having no education. He trained as an engineer in Austria and worked in Budapest and Paris before emigrating to America in 1884 with four cents in his pocket.
The War of the Currents
Tesla joined Thomas Edison's company but they soon clashed. Edison championed direct current (DC), which could only travel short distances. Tesla developed alternating current (AC), which could be stepped up to high voltage and transmitted over hundreds of miles. George Westinghouse bought Tesla's AC patents, and the bitter "War of the Currents" ended when AC powered the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and Niagara Falls.
Visionary Ideas
Tesla patented the AC induction motor, the Tesla coil, radio technology, remote control, and wireless lighting. He began building a "World Wireless System" at Wardenclyffe Tower in New York, hoping to transmit energy and information wirelessly across the globe, but ran out of funding.
Later Years
Tesla spent his final decades in New York hotels, feeding pigeons and continuing to sketch inventions. He died with little money but holding over 300 patents. His reputation has grown enormously since, and today he is celebrated as one of history's greatest inventors.
What did they discover?
Alternating Current (AC) System
Designed the practical AC power system — motors, transformers, and generators — that still electrifies the entire world.
Tesla Coil
A high-voltage resonant transformer that produces spectacular electrical arcs and is still used in radio and television technology.
Induction Motor
An AC motor with no brushes or commutator, simple and reliable — the workhorse of modern industry.
Radio Control
In 1898, he demonstrated a wirelessly controlled boat in Madison Square Garden, the first remote-controlled device.
Amazing facts
He was born during a violent lightning storm, which the midwife called a bad omen.
He had a photographic memory and could memorise entire books and visualise machines in his mind before building them.
He spoke eight languages.
He once held a demonstration where 200,000 volts of electricity passed through his body without harm.
He worked for Thomas Edison but quit when Edison refused to pay him a promised $50,000 bonus, saying it was "just an American joke."
The SI unit for magnetic flux density is named the "tesla" in his honour.
Timeline
Born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (now Croatia)
Emigrated to New York and briefly worked for Edison
Patented the AC induction motor
AC powered the Chicago World's Fair
Demonstrated the first radio-controlled vehicle
Began construction of Wardenclyffe Tower
Died in a New York hotel room
Awards & honours
Related Super Scientists
Thomas Edison
1847–1931 · Inventor & Businessman
Invented the practical incandescent light bulb, phonograph, and motion picture camera.
Albert Einstein
1879–1955 · Theoretical Physicist
Developing the theory of relativity and the equation E=mc².
Michael Faraday
1791–1867 · Physicist & Chemist
Discovered electromagnetic induction and built the first electric motor and generator.
Articles about this scientist
Sources & references
Books and educational kits about Nikola Tesla coming soon