Written by @elveloy.
When I first sat down to write this piece, I’d forgotten I already knew a little bit about Tesla. I remember taking my daughter to see a Tesla Coil at our local Investigator Science centre (before the centre was thoughtfully closed down by the government of the day). We clapped our hands over our ears at the loud bang and oohed and aahed at the dramatic display of ‘caged lightning’ when it was turned on for a few moments every hour.
Essentially, the Tesla coil is two open electric circuits connected to a spark gap, which produces electricity - lightning bolts. If you ever get a chance to see one in action, I recommend it!
Tesla was born during a huge lightning storm, on 10th July 1856 to Serbian parents in the Austro-Hungarian empire (modern Croatia). He went to the US in 1884 and was a contemporary of Edison.
During his life time, Tesla gained the reputation of being the archetypal ‘mad scientist’. In 1898 he invented a steam powered oscillator (called an earthquake machine by the press) which set the surrounding buildings vibrating so severely he had to smash it with a hammer to stop them from being destroyed. In 1899 he was reputed to have lit 200 lightbulbs from a power source 26 miles away, but the best story is about his “Death Ray.”
Tesla claimed his invention would ‘send concentrated beams of particles through the free air, of such tremendous energy that they will bring down a fleet of 10,000 enemy airplanes at a distance of 200 miles from a defending nation's border and will cause armies to drop dead in their tracks.’ However, no evidence of such an invention was ever found - although the FBI seized his belongings after his death, so ...
On the serious side - he registered over 700 patents during his life. He was a strong proponent of the alternating current use of electricity and his alternating current induction motor is considered one of the ten greatest discoveries of all time. It is still used today to power household and industrial appliances.
Among his discoveries are the fluorescent light, laser beam, wireless transmission of electrical energy - the Tesla coil, remote control, robotics, Tesla’s turbines and vertical take off aircraft. Tesla is considered the father of the radio and the modern electrical transmissions systems.
He had some weird personal habits, including a fixation with pigeons, and a hatred of pearls - apparently he refused to talk to women who were wearing them. He was a lifelong celibate and claimed chastity was helpful to his scientific abilities (!) He also had an eidetic (photographic) memory and spoke eight languages.
Tesla died on January 7th, 1943 in the Hotel New Yorker, where he had lived for the last ten years of his life.
Apart from wikipedia - there is an interesting article on Tesla here - http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm
and here! http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tesla.html
YOU ARE READING
Tevun-Krus #13 - TeslaPunk
Ciencia FicciónA host of writers and thinkers here at @Ooorah have taken on TeslaPunk SciFi! Tune in for this month's electrifying, all-original issue of Wattpad's SciFi e-zine: Tevun-Krus!
