Nikola Tesla Biography

Nikola Tesla is an inventor and electrical engineer known for discovering the rotating magnetic field and inventing the alternating current (AC) induction motor and the Tesla coil.

He was named as the Father of Alternating Current. The International System of Units unit for magnetic flux density measurements, Tesla, in electromagnetism is named after his honor. Nikola Tesla is instrumental in the development of utilizing AC power in power plants and transmission lines today.

Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, Lika, Croatia on July 10, 1856 as the fourth child of his Serbian parents. His father, Milutin Tesla, was a Serbian Orthodox Church priest. His mother, ?uka Tesla, was Serbian Orthodox priest daughter who made home craft tools. He first attended school in Karlovac. In 1875, he entered the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz, Austria as an electrical engineering student and studied physics and mathematics. He became interested with the idea of electric motors running on a current that is better than direct current while he was studying in Graz and this became his obsession. He also entered the University of Prague to study philosophy.

In 1880, Nikola Tesla worked as an electrical engineer in the American Telegraph Company in Budapest, Hungary. He was promoted to the post of chief electrician of the American Telegraph Company in 1881. He was also the engineer of Hungary's first telephone system. In the year 1882, he worked for Continental Edison Company in Paris, France as an engineer. In 1883, he worked in Strassburg to repair an electrical plant.

In 1884, Nikola Tesla arrived in New York to work for Thomas Edison at the New York Branch of the Edison Company through a recommendation from a former employer of the company, Charles Batchelor.  Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison had disagreements with AC current over DC current and this was referred to as the war of the currents. Tesla was in favor of the uses of the alternating current while Edison was an advocate of using DC current in power transmission systems. Nikola Tesla left Edison’s company and he looked for other jobs while working on his own AC polyphase system. In 1887, the Western Union Telegraph Company helped him start a business and he was able to design and produce motors, transformers, and generators.

In 1888, Nikola Tesla discovered that two coils perpendicular to each other can rotate a magnetic field if the coils are supplied with 90 degrees out of phase AC current and this discovery eventually led him to patent his polyphase system, AC induction motor and other devices. In the same year, he presented his paper entitled “A New System of Alternating Current Motors and Transformers” to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and impressed George Westinghouse of the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh. His patent rights were bought by George Westinghouse who built transmission lines and power plants out of Tesla’s system and control the hydroelectric plant in Niagara Falls.

In 1891, Nikola Tesla became a United States naturalized citizen. In the same year, he invented the Tesla coil which is widely used in radio communications. In 1893, he demonstrated AC power to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In 1913, he patented his invention of a turbine known as the Tesla turbine today.

Nikola Tesla died of heart failure on January 7, 1943 in New York City leaving the world his great inventions and works.

Nikola Tesla is an inventor and electrical engineer known for discovering the rotating magnetic field and inventing the alternating current (AC) induction motor and the Tesla coil.

He was named as the Father of Alternating Current. The International System of Units unit for magnetic flux density measurements, Tesla, in electromagnetism is named after his honor. Nikola Tesla is instrumental in the development of utilizing AC power in power plants and transmission lines today. 

Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljan, Lika, Croatia on July 10, 1856 as the fourth child of his Serbian parents. His father, Milutin Tesla, was a Serbian Orthodox Church priest. His mother, ?uka Tesla, was Serbian Orthodox priest daughter who made home craft tools.

He first attended school in Karlovac. In 1875, he entered the Austrian Polytechnic in Graz, Austria as an electrical engineering student and studied physics and mathematics. He became interested with the idea of electric motors running on a current that is better than direct current while he was studying in Graz and this became his obsession. He also entered the University of Prague to study philosophy. 

In 1880, Nikola Tesla worked as an electrical engineer in the American Telegraph Company in Budapest, Hungary. He was promoted to the post of chief electrician of the American Telegraph Company in 1881. He was also the engineer of Hungary's first telephone system. In the year 1882, he worked for Continental Edison Company in Paris, France as an engineer. In 1883, he worked in Strassburg to repair an electrical plant. 

In 1884, Nikola Tesla arrived in New York to work for Thomas Edison at the New York Branch of the Edison Company through a recommendation from a former employer of the company, Charles Batchelor.  

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison had disagreements with AC current over DC current and this was referred to as the war of the currents. Tesla was in favor of the uses of the alternating current while Edison was an advocate of using DC current in power transmission systems. Nikola Tesla left Edison’s company and he looked for other jobs while working on his own AC polyphase system. In 1887, the Western Union Telegraph Company helped him start a business and he was able to design and produce motors, transformers, and generators. 

Nikola Tesla Picture

In 1888, Nikola Tesla discovered that two coils perpendicular to each other can rotate a magnetic field if the coils are supplied with 90 degrees out of phase AC current and this discovery eventually led him to patent his polyphase system, AC induction motor and other devices. In the same year, he presented his paper entitled “A New System of Alternating Current Motors and Transformers” to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and impressed George Westinghouse of the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh. His patent rights were bought by George Westinghouse who built transmission lines and power plants out of Tesla’s system and control the hydroelectric plant in Niagara Falls. 

In 1891, Nikola Tesla became a United States naturalized citizen. In the same year, he invented the Tesla coil which is widely used in radio communications. In 1893, he demonstrated AC power to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. In 1913, he patented his invention of a turbine known as the Tesla turbine today.

Nikola Tesla died of heart failure on January 7, 1943 in New York City leaving the world his great inventions and works. If you like this article on Tesla you may also like this ereader device, i'm sure he would!