By SACHA MALLI GERARD CHRISTOPHER
In a deserted lot built in the Industrial Era in east New York, there is a Tesla Science Centre that is being renovated to become one of the most revolutionary Tesla museums in history.
Nikola Tesla was a visionary, and a revolutionist himself but not many people realise this. Most of us were raised to look up to Thomas Alva Edison, the alleged inventor of the lightbulb, but did you know that Tesla invented Alternating Current while Edison tried to stop him?
Here are some facts about Tesla that you might have missed while growing up.
Tesla worked for Edison
Nikola Tesla worked for Thomas Edison for about a year. He improved many of the machines including a direct current generator. When Edison refused to pay him and joked about it, Tesla quit working for the Edison Company immediately.
Tesla was a genius
Apart from speaking eight languages fluently, Tesla could do integral calculus in his head around the age of 14, which led his teachers to believe that he was cheating on his tests. He also invented so many machines in his lifetime that most of today’s advancements are because of him.
Tesla was an eidetic
This means he could conjure up images in his head that had so much detail that it looked real. He made good use of his eidetic memory to make machines from spare parts lying around in his laboratory, like in 1899, when Tesla built a power source that could wirelessly light 200 light bulbs 41km away.
Despite this achievement, no one would fund his research as they knew it could not be capitalised upon.
First major hydroelectric power plant
In 1883, George Westinghouse, who was Tesla’s partner at that time, began the development of harnessing the power of Niagara Falls with Tesla’s Polyphase Alternating Current invention.
This was huge as power harnessed before this could not travel more than 3.21km, much less power the nearest town called Buffalo.
War of the Currents
This was a war with Edison himself. At this time, electricity was being run by the Edison Company-owned Direct Current. Tesla came up with Alternating Current which was proven to conserve more energy and use less copper. But Edison would not have this.
Long story short, Edison performed some horrid experiments on animals and told the public that Alternating Current was dangerous, while Direct Current was the way to go. These experiments also involved the electric chair and some patent wars.
Thomas Edison once said that he failed 1000 times before succeeding the 1001st time, but was even that 1001st time actually Tesla’s success?
In a deserted lot built in the Industrial Era in east New York, there is a Tesla Science Centre that is being renovated to become one of the most revolutionary Tesla museums in history.
Nikola Tesla was a visionary, and a revolutionist himself but not many people realise this. Most of us were raised to look up to Thomas Alva Edison, the alleged inventor of the lightbulb, but did you know that Tesla invented Alternating Current while Edison tried to stop him?
Here are some facts about Tesla that you might have missed while growing up.
Tesla worked for Edison
Nikola Tesla worked for Thomas Edison for about a year. He improved many of the machines including a direct current generator. When Edison refused to pay him and joked about it, Tesla quit working for the Edison Company immediately.
Tesla was a genius
Apart from speaking eight languages fluently, Tesla could do integral calculus in his head around the age of 14, which led his teachers to believe that he was cheating on his tests. He also invented so many machines in his lifetime that most of today’s advancements are because of him.
Tesla was an eidetic
This means he could conjure up images in his head that had so much detail that it looked real. He made good use of his eidetic memory to make machines from spare parts lying around in his laboratory, like in 1899, when Tesla built a power source that could wirelessly light 200 light bulbs 41km away.
Despite this achievement, no one would fund his research as they knew it could not be capitalised upon.
First major hydroelectric power plant
In 1883, George Westinghouse, who was Tesla’s partner at that time, began the development of harnessing the power of Niagara Falls with Tesla’s Polyphase Alternating Current invention.
This was huge as power harnessed before this could not travel more than 3.21km, much less power the nearest town called Buffalo.
War of the Currents
This was a war with Edison himself. At this time, electricity was being run by the Edison Company-owned Direct Current. Tesla came up with Alternating Current which was proven to conserve more energy and use less copper. But Edison would not have this.
Long story short, Edison performed some horrid experiments on animals and told the public that Alternating Current was dangerous, while Direct Current was the way to go. These experiments also involved the electric chair and some patent wars.
Thomas Edison once said that he failed 1000 times before succeeding the 1001st time, but was even that 1001st time actually Tesla’s success?