History's Forgotten Genius

1127 Words3 Pages

In the 1880s, there was a war going on in the United States. Backstabbing, secrecy, and death were common. However, this war had no weapons. It was a dual between two geniuses. These two men are the fathers of modern technology. The War of Currents was a battle between the famous inventor Thomas Edison, and the mysterious genius Nikola Tesla. Tesla and Edison engaged in an epic competition to create the most efficient, cheap, usable form of electricity. Everyone knows who Thomas Edison was, but not many people know of Nikola Tesla. Tesla was an unappreciated mastermind who changed the world with his inventions, performed many strange experiments, and practically invented usable electricity. Tesla’s career as an inventor started when he was in his late twenties. He displayed his incredible understanding of electricity and physics when he created his first invention, the induction motor. The induction motor is a small, electric motor that has become a very useful machine. In fact, most household appliances run using Tesla’s induction motor (Vujovic 1). Score one for Tesla. Soon after he invented the induction motor, Tesla moved to America to try his luck at living the American dream. While in New York City, Tesla got the amazing opportunity to work for his hero, Thomas Edison. However, Tesla soon quit working for Edison due to some disagreements between the two inventors. And so with Edison and his men biting at Tesla’s heels, Nikola set out on his own to make a name for himself (Vujovic 1). Tesla soon became Edison’s greatest competitor. While tinkering in his lab with one of his inventions called the Tesla Coil, Tesla discovered that he could send and receive radio signals when his coils were tuned to the exact same frequency... ... middle of paper ... ...n on a light switch, press the power button on your computer, or start your car, you are using technology that was invented and pioneered by Nikola Tesla. Works Cited Zondy, David . "Tesla's Death Ray." davidszondy. 23 March 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. . Prince, Cameron . "Tesla Timeline." Teslauniverse. 1 January 2009. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. . Kosanovic, Bogdan R. "Nikola Tesla: A Short Biography." Neuronet. 20 October 1994. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. . Uth, Robert . "Nikola Tesla: Life and Legacy." pbs. 12 December 2000. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. . Vujovic, Ljubo . "Tesla AC." Teslasociety. 2011. Web. 10 Sept. 2011. .

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