StMU Research Scholars

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March 3, 2017

Nikola Tesla: The Man Who Gave a New “Light” to the World

Nikola Tesla, more commonly remembered as the inventor of technologies such as the Tesla Coil, was a Serbian-American Scientist, inventor, physicist, mechanical and electrical engineer. Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is now known as present-day Luka, Croatia. As an adult, he studied both Mathematics and Physics at the University of Graz and philosophy at the University of Prague. In 1884, at the age of 28, Tesla immigrated to the United States in the search of both freedom and opportunity.1 In June of that same year, Tesla finally set foot in the United States, penniless, but still full of ambition fueled by his dream to revolutionize the world through advancements in electricity.

In the days following his arrival, Tesla was given the opportunity to meet with none other than Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, the incandescent lightbulb, and the early motion picture camera, just to name a few. More notably, Edison was recognized for the invention of direct current, which was at the time the most popularly used form of electricity.2 His newfound fame distinguished him as a very important and influential person during that time. And Edison recognized the potential that Nikola Tesla possessed, and employed him to work under his supervision.

After months of working under Edison, Tesla began to form a close bond with him, earning the position and title of Edison’s apprentice. Being an apprentice and working closely on research and inventions with Edison himself, Tesla was able to test and further his knowledge on scientific inventions and eventually was able to test theories and inventions of his own. Unfortunately, with this expansion in his capacity of understanding, Tesla was able to analyze certain faults and options for improvements in Edison’s inventions. When he confronted Edison about possible improvements that could have been made to the functioning of direct current, Edison blatantly opposed any of the claims suggested by Tesla. Consequently, both men got caught up in an argument, and Tesla was coerced into resigning from working with Edison.3

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Nikola Tesla working in his Laboratory in Colorado Springs on June 17, 1901. The card reading, “To my illustrious friend Sir William Crookes of whom I always think and whose letters I never answer -Nikola Tesla” | Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

However, Nikola Tesla’s improvements in terms of electricity drove him to establish a new form, known as the practical alternating current (AC) motor. This type of current functioned using two sources of alternating current that worked out of phase with one another by creating a rotating magnetic field that would serve as a motor.4 In addition to this, Tesla also introduced his own version of lightbulbs, commonly known as fluorescent light bulbs.5 With the introduction of the AC motor, a lighting system that proved to be more efficient than Edison’s, and a new type of lightbulb, Tesla had managed to slowly take out the competition that he had with Edison. As more people started investing in AC networks, the less people remained with Edison’s “alternate” direct current. With the help of investors such as Westinghouse and J.P. Morgan Jr., Tesla was able to dominate the market for electricity and rise to fame.6

Nikola Tesla on the cover of TIME Magazine, Volume 18 Issue 3 published on July 20 in 1931, honoring his 75th Birthday | Image Courtesy of Time Magazine Archive

Other advancements made by Nikola Tesla were in the medical field, namely, with medical practices using “Tesla Currents,” which used a form of electrotherapy to produce heat in tissues of the human body; and in other procedures such as “teslinization,” which is where Tesla Coils were used on patients to stimulate high frequencies of electric fields within the body. One of the more recognized inventions made by Tesla are the earliest forms of X-Ray machines.7 Today, we use x-rays in a great deal of medical procedures that require the need to further analyze the condition of patients in areas that are not immediately visible to the human eye. This breakthrough in medicine was made possible by the development of radio, wireless transitions of energy, the discovery of rays that could help penetrate the human tissue, and the use of Tesla currents in medical procedures.8  With these various types of practices and inventions, Nikola Tesla was able to effectively make his mark on the medical industry, most of which still exists in the equipment and practices we use today.

It is no secret that Nikola Tesla represents an ideal example of the American dream; a poor Siberian immigrant leaving everything behind and moving to America to pursue his dreams and making a difference. Undoubtedly, Nikola Tesla has proven to be one of the most influential scientific minds in the fields of medicine, physics, mathematics, and engineering. In his lifetime, he managed to do the things that many of wish to be able to do, which is to revolutionize the way we view the world through ingenuity, innovation, and persistence. Tesla has managed to make his mark on the world and leave his legacy in American History.

 

 

  1. L F. Haas, “Nikola Tesla (1856-1943),” Journal Of Neurology, Neurosurgery, And Psychiatry 72, no. 4 (Feb 2017): 526.
  2. Guillaume de Syon, “Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age,” Canadian Journal Of History 49, no. 2 (August 2014): 347.
  3. Jill Jonnes, Empires of light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the race to electrify the world (New York: Random House, 2003), 50-79.
  4. Ronald H. Bailey, “Tesla: the wizard who electrified the world,” American History, no. 2 (2010): 52.
  5. Oliver Graydon, “Master of electrons and photons,” Nature Photonics 9, no. 6 (June 2015): 345.
  6. Bernard Carlson, “Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age,” Publishers Weekly 260, no. 14 (April 8, 2013): 54-55.
  7. Danijela Vučević , Drago Đorđević, and Tatjana Radosavljević, “Nikola Tesla and medicine: 160th anniversary of the birth of the genius who gave light to the world – part I,” Medicinski Pregled, Vol 69, No 9-10 (2016): 313.
  8. Vladimir and Milan Baltić, “Nikola Tesla discovered ‘very special radiation’ or X-radiation,” Archive Of Oncology 15, no. 3-4 (Feb 2017): 100-105.

Tags from the story

American Inventors

Nikola Tesla

Thomas Alva Edison

Recent Comments

Nicolas McKay

That was a fantastic article Nahim. I only knew Tesla was the inventor of electricity, but I had no idea that he had so many other inventions. It was very interesting how he surpassed his mentor Thomas Edison, much to his chagrin no doubt. I do wonder why Tesla doesn’t get more recognition for all of the accomplishments that he achieved throughout his life. I certainly agree with you when you said he truly lived the American dream, arriving with no money, and earning his place in the pages of history.

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08/03/2017

11:56 am

Mariana Govea

Great article! You kept me hooked the whole read!Wow! I did know that he had invented many more stuff! We always hear on how he invented electricity but never of all the other stuff and you did a great job in letting us know everything he did!! As well as I found it so interesting how you mentioned that he tried to work with Thomas Edison not to compete with him or to be better than him but to learn from him so he could contribute to greater things together! So after reading your article I realized that it was not only Edison who did all the innovations but Tesla as well, which we never really got introduced to him in school!Great job on providing his background story!

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09/03/2017

11:56 am

Bailey Rider

Excellent article! It was so interesting to learn about the start of Tesla’s life and how he emigrated to America. He really did find the American dream! It’s so cool that he got to work with Albert Einstein and that they became close. I can’t believe that Einstein couldn’t take the constructive critisism on his work, what a shame. However it’s cool that that led to Tesla’s fame and fortune. Thanks for the article!

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09/03/2017

11:56 am

Nelson Smithwick

Great article, I have never read much about Tesla since he is usually overshadowed by Edison in most stories. It was interesting to learn a bit more about this side of the war of the currents, and I never knew that Tesla had so many medical applications of his discoveries. He really does not get the credit that he deserves these days.

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09/03/2017

11:56 am

Aaron Jaramillo

This was such an interesting and amazing article Nahim. Prior to reading this article I knew that Nikola Tesla was the inventor of electricity. Due to this huge invention I didn’t realize he invented so many other things. In school we gave all the credit to Thomas Edison but never recognized Tesla for the work he did. Good job on your organizing skills, it kept me wanting to read more.

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10/03/2017

11:56 am

Alyssa Vela

This was an amazing article! Your writing style was really interesting, I liked that it kept me wanting to read more. Honestly, I don’t really remember learning about Nikola Tesla growing up, I guess Thomas Edison always over-shined him. I’m glad you wrote this article, because it enlightened me on the subject a lot! Overall a very well written article. Kudos on getting so much information into one article! I look forward to reading more of your work.

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14/03/2017

11:56 am

Erick Paul Martinez

Very interesting article, it was very easy to follow and was full of great information. It is quite amazing to think of all Tesla was able to accomplish despite his adverse beginning in America. It is inspiring to see that if you truly work hard you can find success. Tesla was very successful in his work, and made many advancements that still aid us today.

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15/03/2017

11:56 am

Natalia Zuniga

Great article! I have heard the names Nikola Tesla but never knew anything about him or what he di just mentions of the name. I fount it very interesting that not only was he an immigrant but Edison gave him his start. Interesting to see how much influence he has now and help develop since today and is a huge part of history.

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19/03/2017

11:56 am

Luke Trevino

Wow! What an amazing article. I had heard the name of Tesla but never knew of his works! I think it is crazy how America will focus on the works of Edison but not recognize Tesla as much as him. Although I have a lot of respect for Edison it is clear he was not open to new ideas therefore could not better his inventions. Tesla on the other hand mad great improvements in his work and revolutionized the way we saw electricity. Very good article!

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20/03/2017

11:56 am

Mario Sosa

It must have been seemingly impossible for a man to be one of the most influential people in the fields of medicine, physics, mathematics, and engineering. Nikolai Tesla managed to do just that, and much more. Even after everything that Tesla has done, I wonder why more people are taught about Edison than Tesla at schools. Well descriptive article, nicely done!

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23/03/2017

11:56 am

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