Nikola Tesla, scientist: “Our virtues and our failings are inseparable, like force and matter. When they separate, man is no more”
The engineer's discoveries were key to the development of modern electricity; he conceived of science as a service to humanity.
Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, to a family of Serbian origin. From an early age, he displayed exceptional intelligence and an extraordinary memory, coupled with a rare gift for technical imagination. Trained as an engineer, he quickly stood out for his ability to visualize complex devices entirely in his mind, without the need for drawings or preliminary prototypes.
After working in Europe, Tesla emigrated to the United States in 1884, where he began a brief and contentious collaboration with Thomas Edison. The split between the two sparked the so‑called “War of the Currents,” a battle between Edison’s direct‑current system and the alternating‑current system championed by Tesla, which was far more efficient for long‑distance power transmission. In the end, Tesla’s system prevailed and became the global standard.
A genius ahead of his time
Beyond alternating current, Tesla developed foundational innovations such as the induction motor, the coil that bears his name, and pioneering experiments in radio, wireless power transmission, and remote control. Many of his ideas were misunderstood or ignored during his lifetime - either because of their technical complexity or because he lacked the funding to bring them to fruition.
Despite his brilliance, Tesla never achieved financial stability. He signed away key patents, turned down lucrative deals, and relied on patrons who eventually withdrew their support. His obsession with scientific progress coexisted with an eccentric personality, solitary habits, and an increasing disconnect from the business world and society around him.
Tesla died in 1943 in New York, alone and almost forgotten. Yet over time, he has come to be recognized as a foundational inventor of the modern world. Today, his legacy embodies both the transformative power of science and the human cost of genius pushed to its limits.
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