Никола Тесла

Tesla conceived the rotating magnetic field principle and built the first induction motor. He filed patents for the AC motor and polyphase power system in 1887-1888. This invention enabled efficient long-distance transmission of electricity and became the foundation of modern power grids.

Tesla's AC system, licensed to George Westinghouse, competed against Thomas Edison's direct current (DC) system. Edison conducted a smear campaign, including public electrocutions of animals using AC. Westinghouse won the contract to power the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, establishing AC as the standard.

Tesla invented the Tesla coil, a resonant transformer circuit capable of producing high-voltage, high-frequency alternating current. This device became fundamental to radio technology, wireless transmission, and later to neon and fluorescent lighting.

Tesla established a laboratory in Colorado Springs to conduct high-voltage, high-frequency experiments. He generated artificial lightning bolts up to 130 feet long and transmitted electrical energy wirelessly, lighting lamps at a distance. These experiments advanced understanding of resonance and wireless power.

Tesla began construction of a wireless transmission tower on Long Island, funded by J.P. Morgan. The tower was intended to transmit messages, telephony, and even wireless power across the Atlantic. The project failed due to funding withdrawal after Morgan lost confidence, and the tower was demolished in 1917.

After the Wardenclyffe failure, Tesla's financial situation deteriorated. He lived in hotels, accumulated debts, and became increasingly reclusive. He continued to develop ideas but few were commercialized. He died in relative obscurity in 1943.

Tesla died alone in Room 3327 of the New Yorker Hotel. His body was found by a maid. His funeral was attended by over 2,000 people, including dignitaries. In the 1950s, the SI unit of magnetic flux density was named the tesla in his honor, cementing his legacy.