Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor best known for his amazing contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) and electricity distribution system.
Tesla was born in what is now Croatia (then part of the Austrian Empire) in 10/July/1856. He studied engineering and physics but never received a degree.
When he was 81, in 1937, he was crossing a street when he was hit by a taxicab. Tesla refused to consult a doctor and never fully recovered. He died in 1943, at the age of 86, in the Hotel New Yorker, where he was living. His body was found by a maid who ignored the “do not disturb” sign that was on the door for two days. The cause of death was a coronary thrombosis, a type of heart attack.
The early years
Tesla worked during the early 1880s in telephony and in the electric power industry, at the Continental Edison Company. The company had several subdivisions and Tesla worked at the Société Electrique Edison, the division in a suburb of Paris in charge of installing lighting systems. That’s where he gained a lot of practical experience in electrical engineering.
His management noticed his advanced knowledge in engineering and physics and soon he was responsible to design and build improved versions of generating dynamos and motors. He also worked troubleshooting engineering problems in other Edison’s subdivisions around France and Germany.
In 1884, his manager, who was responsible for the Paris subdivision, was brought back to the United States to manage the Edison Machine Works. He asked that Tesla should also be brought to the United States. That’s when Tesla emigrated to the United States, starting to work immediately at the Edison Machine Works in New York. It’s unclear why he left the company after only six months.
Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company
After leaving the Edison Machine Works, he set up laboratories and companies with the help of partners to finance and market his ideas. The Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company was founded in 1884 and its works included an improved DC generator, the first patent issued to Tesla in the United States. His new system was noticed by the technical press because of its advanced features.
But the investors didn’t show interest in Tesla’s ideas for new types of AC motors and electrical transmission equipment. They decided to be just an utility company and, in 1886, when it was up and running, they abandoned the manufacturing business as it was too competitive and formed a new utility company, abandoning Tesla Electric Light and Manufacturing Company and leaving Tesla penniless. He even lost his patents as he had assigned them to the company in exchange for stock.
Tesla Electric Company
In late 1886, he met Alfred Brown and Charles Peck, who were experienced in setting up companies and promoting inventions for patent and financial gain. They agreed to back the inventor financially and handle his patents. Then, they formed the Tesla Electric Company in 1887, where Tesla worked on the improvement and development of electric motors, generators and other devices.
With the expansion of the alternate current in Europe and the United States due to its advantages in long distance transmission, Tesla developed an induction motor that ran on AC. The AC induction motor patent, along with the polyphase AC patent, was licensed by Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company and he earned a lot of money. Besides the money he received upfront, he also received royalties per AC horsepower produced by each motor, and was hired as a consultant at the Westinghouse’s lab for one year.
Two years after signing the contract, Westinghouse Electric was in trouble due to the financial panic of 1890. The company was forced to refinance its debts and cut back spending money on acquisition of companies, research and patents, and paying royalties that included the per motor royalty in Tesla’s contract. After Westinghouse talked to Tesla, he agreed to release the company from the royalty payments, as he saw advantages of the company continue to champion his motor. Six years later he sold the patent for a lump sum payment as part of a patent sharing agreement signed with General Electric (a company created in 1892).
Tesla’s AC induction motor patent drawing
Tesla’s AC dynamo-electric machine (AC electric generator)
New York laboratories – 1889 to1902
The money he made from his AC patents allowed him to pursue his own interests. He rented spaces in New York where he continued to work on inventions he could patent and market. These included various experiments with mechanical oscillators / generators, electrical discharge tubes and early X-ray imaging. At some point he even had hired staff. Some of his most significant work were conducted in these workshops.
One of his most significant work was an electrical resonant transformer circuit used to produce high voltage, low current and high frequency alternating current electricity.
After 1890, for almost a decade, Tesla experimented with transmitting power by inductive and capacitive coupling using high AC voltages generated with his Tesla coil. His goal was to develop a wireless lighting system and he even conducted a series of public demonstrations where he lit Geissler tubes and incandescent light bulbs from across a stage. But, after all, he wasn’t able to produce a commercial product out of his findings.
Nikola Tesla x Thomas Edison
Edison was a strong proponent of direct current (DC) electrical systems. DC is a type of electrical current that flows consistently in one direction. Edison had developed a practical and commercially viable DC power distribution system, which was initially used for lighting systems in cities.
On the other hand, Tesla defended alternating current (AC) electrical systems. AC periodically changes direction, and Tesla’s innovations, including the development of the AC induction motor and transformer, allowed for more efficient transmission of electricity over long distances. AC ultimately became the dominant standard for power distribution.
The competition between Edison’s DC and Tesla’s AC systems became known as the “War of the Currents.” Edison, seeking to discredit AC as dangerous, engaged in a public relations campaign that included promoting the idea that AC was more hazardous than DC. He went as far as electrocuting animals using AC in public demonstrations to highlight its dangers. This included the widely publicized electrocution of animals using AC in what became known as the “electric chair” campaign, an attempt to associate AC with capital punishment.
While Edison was a prolific inventor and entrepreneur, Tesla’s contributions to the development of AC power systems had a profound and lasting impact on the electrification of the world. Tesla’s AC system became the foundation for the modern electrical power distribution system.
Despite the rivalry, both Edison and Tesla made significant contributions to the field of electrical engineering and technology.
Tesla’s Radio Controlled Boat – 1898
Tesla’s bladeless turbine design
Tesla’s most important contributions
- AC Electrical System: Tesla’s most notable contribution was his work on alternating current (AC) electrical systems. He developed the induction motor and transformer, which allowed for the efficient transmission of electricity over long distances. This was in contrast to the direct current (DC) systems championed by Thomas Edison at the time.
- Tesla Coil: Tesla is also known for inventing the Tesla coil, a resonant transformer circuit widely used in radio technology and early wireless communication.
- Wireless Transmission of Energy: Tesla envisioned the possibility of wireless transmission of energy and experimented with various ideas, including the Wardenclyffe Tower project. While this ambitious project was not completed, it reflected Tesla’s interest in wireless communication and power transmission.
- Contributions to Radio: There has been historical debate over Tesla’s contributions to the development of radio. Guglielmo Marconi is often credited with the invention of radio, but Tesla’s patents and prior work suggest he had a role in the early development of radio technology.
- Other Inventions: Tesla held numerous patents for a variety of inventions, including the Tesla turbine, bladeless turbines, and various electrical devices.
Despite his brilliance, Tesla faced financial difficulties later in life. His visionary ideas sometimes made it challenging to secure funding. He died in 1943 in New York City, largely forgotten at the time. However, in the later half of the 20th century, Tesla gained recognition for his pioneering contributions to electrical engineering and technology.
Nikola Tesla’s legacy continues to influence modern technology, and he is remembered as one of the most important inventors and visionaries in the field of electrical engineering.