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Architect of the World

Nikola Tesla - Unsung Prophet of Electrical Age

Very few people have heard of Nikola Tesla, a brilliant
scientist who lived at the turn of the century. He was
considered an eccentric who talked of voice and image
transmission by air in the late 1800’s when radio or TV were

both un-invented!

Truth to tell, Nikola Tesla did invent all these and had
elaborate notes prepared for each item he claimed was
possible. In fact, Tesla is responsible for almost all the things

we have given someone else credit for!

Nikola Tesla was born in Smijlan in Croatia in 1856. A brilliant
child prodigy with a phenomenal memory, he could speak
six languages before he was 10. Tesla graduated in physics and mathematics from the
Polytechnic Institute at Gratz, Austria, and then took philosophy at the University of

Prague.

At Budapest he worked as a draughtsman in the Central Telegraph Office and was later
in charge of the telephone exchange when it was established.

Tesla made several improvements in the telephone exchange apparatus and perfected
a telephone repeater or amplifier which was never patented. Subsequently, he worked

in France and later, Germany.

In 1880, he emigrated to the United States. Initially he worked for Thomas Alva Edison
who had just patented the light bulb.

Tesla developed a better system for electrical transmission – the AC or alternating

current system. AC offered great advantages over the DC system – AC voltages could
be transmitted over long distances through thin wires while DC required a larger power
plant at frequent intervals at the same time requiring thicker cables.

In 1888, further enhanced the system by inventing the induction motor. These two –
the induction motor and AC current – is what you will find in almost every home in the

world today.

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