The Tragic Story of Nikola Tesla: A Forgotten Genius
The Tragic Story of Nikola Tesla 🔗
*Correction: @ 7:03 It's debated who "discovered" America. The 400th anniversary of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 marked Christopher Columbus' voyage to the Americas.
The video discusses the tragic story of Nikola Tesla, a lesser-known inventor compared to Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, and Thomas Edison. Despite his lack of recognition, Tesla's inventions such as the electric power system have had a lasting impact on modern technology. The video starts with the discovery of Tesla's body by a maid in 1943, setting the stage for the tragic tale of the forgotten genius.
0:31 Daniel Schwen / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla reveals how one of the greatest inventors of all time faded into obscurity and died penniless. Living off a diet of warm milk and crackers, Tesla was obsessed with feeding the pigeons outside. Born in present-day Croatia during a lightning storm, Tesla's early life was marked by tragedy when he witnessed his older brother's death. This experience haunted him for the rest of his life.
1:27 Ealdgyth / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla is a tale of incredible talent and personal struggle. As a child, Tesla experienced visions and flashes of light, which fueled his ability to conceive inventions in great detail without the need for drawings. He credited his mother for his interest in invention and his eidetic memory. Despite his father's wishes for him to become a priest, Tesla pursued engineering after surviving a near-death experience with cholera. While studying in Austria, he displayed exceptional academic prowess but ultimately dropped out due to a gambling addiction, cutting ties with his family and leaving his friends in confusion about his fate.
3:01 Jacquesverlaeken / CC BY-SA BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla is recounted in this video, detailing his journey from working as an electrician in Budapest to becoming a pioneer in the development of alternating current (AC) electricity. The video discusses his initial collaboration with Thomas Edison, their subsequent rivalry over AC versus direct current (DC), and the eventual success of Tesla and George Westinghouse in promoting AC as the future of electricity. Despite facing challenges and betrayals, Tesla's inventions and contributions to the development of AC power ultimately led to the phasing out of DC.
7:35 Tesla statue: Milan Suvajac / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla discusses his compassionate act of tearing up his contract with Westinghouse, walking away from $12 million in royalties, which would be worth over $300 million today. This act saved Westinghouse and in return, Tesla received $216,000, equivalent to about $60 million today, and became financially independent. With this money, he set up a series of laboratories in New York for new projects, where he worked on many inventions and held over 300 patents in his lifetime, including an early version of neon lighting and the Tesla turbine.
9:00 Stanislav Kozlovskiy / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla delves into his pioneering work with x-ray technology and remote controls, including controlling a miniature boat in 1898 that was so advanced it seemed like magic to the crowd. His invention of the Tesla coil, capable of producing large amounts of high voltage electricity, was also a standout achievement.
9:35 Original image: OneTeslaDerived image: Chetvorno / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla recounts the devastating fire that destroyed his lab in 1895, just as he was preparing to broadcast his first radio signal. This disaster set back his work by years.
9:42 Wellcome Collection CC BY 4.0 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/sq2828s9
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla is explored in this video. It highlights how a fire at his lab led to a downward spiral in his life. Despite working on the radio, Tesla didn't apply for a patent until two years later, allowing Guglielmo Marconi to also work on the radio in England. Marconi initially faced patent rejection in the US due to similarities with Tesla's work, but ultimately succeeded in sending the world's first transatlantic radio signal.
10:17 Cardiff Council Flat Holm Project / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla delves into the injustices he faced, including Thomas Edison's support of Marconi using Tesla's patents, the US Patent Office's sudden change in awarding Marconi a patent for the invention of the radio, and Marconi's eventual Nobel Prize win, made possible by Tesla's work. Tesla's frustration led to a lawsuit against Marconi, which dragged on in court for years.
10:54 Wellcome Collection CC BY 4.0 https://wellcomecollection.org/works/sq2828s9
The tragic story of Nikola Tesla is a tale of unfulfilled dreams and financial ruin. Tesla's ambition to bring wireless communication to the world led to the construction of Wardenclyffe Tower in Long Island, New York, but lack of financial backing and competition from Marconi's radio invention left Tesla in financial distress. Despite living his last decade in the New Yorker Hotel and receiving support from Westinghouse Corporation, Tesla died in debt. His lack of business acumen and focus on the pursuit of science for the betterment of humanity led to his obscurity and penniless demise. Nevertheless, Tesla's inventions continue to power modern society, and his legacy is being revitalized, thanks in part to Elon Musk's company.