Running head: NIKOLAI TESLA 1

Nikolai Tesla

Laura Mauck

HIS 202

April 1, 2015
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The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his

advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter - for the future. His

duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way (Tesla, n.d.) This

quote truly fits the life of Nikolai Tesla. Most people know about the inventor Thomas Edison

and what he did for society but not as many people know of how Tesla was once Edisons

partner and then later rival. The battle between Teslas AC current and Edisons DC current is

one thing that people know Tesla about the rivalry between the two scientists. Others fans of

Tesla may also know some information about the Tesla coil. Radio is another invention that

came from the mind of Tesla. Elon Musk was very inspired by Tesla and is using Teslas electric

motor in his Tesla brand cars. Many inventors have Tesla to thank for laying the ground work to

finish their inventions. Teslas work showcases how he was a man a genius and his inventions

are important to this day.

The War of the Currents, or the battle between AC and DC, is often the first thing that

comes to many peoples minds when they think of Nikolai Tesla. This battle was for the future of

the industrial development and it was between Teslas Alternating Current and Edisons Direct

Current. Tesla purchased patents in 1887 for generators, transformers, transmission lines, motors

and lighting in the use for his alternating current. His ideas were so revolutionary that Pittsburgh

industrialist George Westinghouse and offered to buy his patents for $5,000, 150 shares in

Westinghouse Corporation, and an agreement for $2.50 per horsepower of electrical capacity

sold in royalties. Edison was furious and began launching propaganda against the use of

alternating current. Edison went so far as using alternating currents to electrify dogs and horses

to try to prove that it was dangerous. An alternating current Westinghouse generator was used to

execute the first prisoner by electric chair. Tesla was able to overcome this bad press by winning
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the chance to showcase his alternating current at the Chicago Worlds Fair. This was the first all-

electric fair in history and Tesla cut Edisons company, General Electric Company, million

dollar bid in half. General Electrics costs were so high because of the copper needed for wiring.

AC power proved to be the more efficient and cost effective than DC power. Twenty-seven

million people attended the fair. After the fair more than 80% of all electrical devices ordered in

the United States would use AC power. (PBS, n.d.)

Teslas alternating current would prove to be brilliant in powering large cities. Tesla

designed the great dam at Niagara Falls that would prove to be a brilliant idea to power large

cities such as New York City. The costs of construction weighed heavily on the investors minds.

They worried that it would not work as well as Teslas model. Their doubts would prove to be

wrong as the power quickly reached Buffalo once the switch was flipped. In a few years there

were ten generators which sent power to run all throughout New York. Sadly due to the war of

currents, Westinghouse was financially drained and nearly bought out by J.P. Morgan. Tesla was

able to save Westinghouse by tearing up his contract with them. Tesla was grateful to the man

who believed in his inventions and hoped that greater inventions were to come. (PBS, n.d.) The

harness of waterfalls is the most economical method known for drawing energy from the sun

(Tesla, n.d.)

Teslas work with alternating currents would lead him into another invention he is

famous for, the Tesla coil. Fans of Tesla can visit the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New

Jersey to see a one-millionvolt lightning show with a pair of Tesla coils. This showcases

wireless transmission of electricity through the air. (Assis, 2015) The Tesla coil was the first

invention to ever be able to transmit electrical signals wirelessly. Tesla invented his coil in hopes

of creating a way to supply energy to the world for free and without the wires. The larger
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versions of the Tesla coil may not be of practical use today but television and radio still use

versions of this coil today.

The Tesla coil led into Teslas work with radio transmission. Tesla was able to use the

coil to both transmit and receive powerful radio signals. In 1895, he was able to transmit radio

signals 50 miles away, but sadly that same year a fire burnt down his lab and all of his work. At

this same time, an inventor named Guglielmo Marconi was working on his own form of wireless

telegraphy. Marconi used a Tesla oscillator to help his invention to transmit signals over longer

distances. Tesla filed for basic radio patents in 1897 and received them in 1900. Marconi filed

for radio patents in 1900 but was turned down because of Teslas patents. With help from ties to

the English aristocracy, Marconis stocks rose from $3 to $22 and then became supported by

Thomas Edison and Andrew Carnegie. In December of 1901, Marconi was able to transmit and

receive radio signals across the Atlantic Ocean. When asked about Marconi Tesla remarked,

Marconi is a good fellow. Let him continue. He is using seventeen of my patents." In 1904 the

U.S. patent office overturned its decisions and gave Marconi the patent for the invention of the

radio. When Marconi won the Nobel Peace Prize for the invention of the radio, tesla was furious

and sued the Marconi Company for infringement. Tesla was unable to pursue the case due to his

finances but in 1943 the US Supreme Court upheld Teslas patent. This decision was likely due

to Marconi Company suing the United States government for the use of its patents in World War

I. (Uth, 2000)

One major reason why Teslas name appears in the news today is because of inventor and

investor Elon Musk. His car company is named Tesla motors after the great inventor because

they use Teslas patented AC induction motor in their cars. Elon Musk set out to prove that

electric cars could be better than gas powered cars. Their first car, the Tesla Roadster, was a
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sports car that could accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.7 seconds and was able to go 245 miles between

charges of its lithium ion battery. In 2012, Tesla motors released the Model S, the first premium

100% electric sedan. The Model S can achieve close to the same acceleration of the Tesla

Roadster, it goes from 0 to 60 in five seconds. The Model S can also last 265 miles on its

lithium ion battery. (Tesla Motors, 2015) The newest Tesla model is a special version of the

Model S, titled the P85D, which can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. This is accomplished

by the dual sets of motors which also allows for greater traction and performance. (Hall-Geisler,

2015)

Teslas work with alternating currents may be his most well-known work simply because

there is so much proof that they were his ideas alone. In his career, Tesla developed numerous

ideas that would eventually be patented by other inventors. He discovered radar technology, X-

ray technology, remote control and the rotating magnetic field but each would be credited to

other inventors. (Biography, 2015) When inventors first created early versions of RADAR units

in 1934, they followed principles that were originally discovered by Tesla in 1917. Teslas study

of high voltage, high frequency alternating currents lead to the development of vacuum tubes. He

was able to generate x-rays and use them to photograph an image of living tissue. During the

time he was creating radio signals, he also created a remote controlled boat and operated it in

Madison Square Garden in 1898. His work also created the ground work of what is known as

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging. In 1960, the official standard of magnetic flux density

was named a tesla in his honor. (Peterson, 2005)

Tesla won his battle with Edison when it came to AC vs DC power. His alternating

current gave way to help create many of his inventions. The harnessing of the power of Niagara

Falls, the Tesla coil, radio signals, and the Tesla motor all use alternating currents. Tesla often
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went without credit for some great inventions, but we are learning more about his work all the

time. History lets us go back and look closer at what happened during this time and notice how

much of a genius Tesla was and how he was simply a man ahead of his time and helped to

literally power the world we live in today.

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References

Assis, C (2015, Feb). 8 Must-see Sites for Fans of Nikola Tesla. Retrieved from

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/8-pilgrimage-sites-for-fans-of-nikola-tesla-2014-12-

23

Dickerson, K (2014, July 14). Wireless Electricity? How the Tesla Coil Works. Retrieved from

http://www.livescience.com/46745-how-tesla-coil-works.html

Hall-Geisler, K (2015, March, 18). New Tesla Model S P85D has an "Insane Mode." Retrieved

from http://www.popsci.com/tesla-model-s-now-insane-mode

Nikola Tesla. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved from

http://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443

Peterson, G. (2005). A Man of Comprehensive Solutions. Retrieved from

http://www.teslascience.org/pages/tesla.htm#boat

Tesla, N. (n.d.) BrainyQuote.com Retrieved from

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nikolatesl596892.html

Tesla, N. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved from

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nikolatesl596907.html

Tesla Motors (2015). Teslas mission is to accelerate the worlds transition to sustainable

transport. Retrieved from http://www.teslamotors.com/about

Uth, Robert (2000) Harnessing Niagara Tesla: Master of Lightning Retrieved from

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_niagara.html
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Uth, Robert (2000) War of the Currents Tesla: Master of Lightning. Retrieved from

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_warcur.html

Uth, Robert (2000) Who Invented Radio? Tesla: Master of Lightning. Retrieved from

http://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_whoradio.html