Nikola Tesla was a mysterious man. He was a genius who
opened the door to the modern world.
world.
However, he is often forgotten in history books. Radio, remote
controls, and x-rays are just some of the incredible inventions
that he gave the world, but he died a poor man.
died a poor man.
His most important invention, a system to produce and transmit
electricity using AC power, is still used today to power the world.
Without Tesla, we might still be living in a world of darkness.
Tesla, we might be living in a world of darkness.
Tesla was born in a small town, in what is now Croatia, in 1856.
From a young age, Tesla was a dreamer and an inventor.
inventor.
At the age of five, he designed a unique water wheel different from any other water wheel in his country. His ideas were not always successful, however. Once as a child he tried to fly by jumping off the roof of his house with an umbrella.
jumping off the roof of his house with an umbrella.
Another time, he tried to make a motor powered by june bugs. A
friend ate his bugs, which ended his project.
friend ate his june bugs.
Tesla also had a strange illness throughout his life. He would
experience flashes of light.
light.
Sometimes these flashes would also include visions. At times, he
could not tell the difference between these visions and reality.
During one vision as a child, he saw Niagara Falls and a wheel
powered by the waterfalls.
by the waterfalls.
Later, he told his uncle about his vision and said that one day he
would travel to America and make it come true. At the age of 28,
Tesla traveled to the U.S. to work for the famous inventor,
Thomas Edison. He arrived in New York City with only four cents
in his pocket and a letter of introduction from one of Edison’s
European business partners.
Today, Thomas Edison is most famous for inventing the light bulb,
but he created over a thousand inventions. At that time, he had a
successful power company.
successful power company.