From a young man installing lights for the Edison company to the

father of modern electricity, Nikola Tesla has truly Inventor,

physicist, mathematician, scientist, and electrical engineer are just

a few words you could use to describe Nikola Tesla. A man who

revolutionized the world with his ideas and inventions. We have him

to thank for making possible the largest form of information

exchange humanity has ever seen. been essential in creating this

modern way of life. Tesla was born and raised in what is now

Croatia. He was educated in high level engineering and physics and

gained practical experience working for Continental Edison. At the

age of 28 Tesla decided to leave Europe for the United States. Tesla

arrived in America with nothing more than a letter of introduction to

meet Thomas Edison. Soon Edison hired Tesla and they both worked

on improving Edison's inventions.

Thomas Edison was an avid supporter of direct current (DC). This

method was fast becoming a standard in America. That is, until

Tesla developed his ideas in alternating current (AC).

This clashing of ideas is the main driving factor for Edison and
Tesla's rivalry and eventual separation, along with their similar

personalities and goal with regards to a business model. Edison was

in support of marketing his ideas and profiting from them while

Tesla was less concerned with money. Alternating current happens

when a current periodically reverses direction. The current used in

your home is an alternating current. All of the power lines you see

hanging above the street or attached to buildings are carrying AC

current. The current in those lines is switching direction 60 times a

minute.

Alternating current holds an advantage over Direct current in long

distance and high voltage transmission. Tesla correctly believed it

was the superior method for future infrastructure. This is where

Edison and Tesla could never agree.

The video below should help everyone understand exactly how AC

power works.

Tesla is the true father of modern cell phones, televisions, radios,

and anything that uses a wireless signal. He theorized the

possibility of transmitting information through the atmosphere or

Earth. His ideas have came to fruition through the harnessing of

radio-waves and micro-waves. Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) uses radio-

waves and the principles that Tesla developed. So you can thank

him for allowing you to read this article. One of Tesla's most famous

inventions - The Tesla Coil (left)

The Tesla coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit

designed in 1891. It's used to produce high-voltage, low-current,

high frequency AC power. In 1906 Nikola Tesla unveiled his 200

horsepower 16,000 rpm bladeless turbine. Tesla long since

theorized the possibility of transmitting information through the air.

Tesla (seen right) sitting in front of a spiral coil used in his wireless

power experiments in his East Houston St. Laboratory. In 1898,

Nikola Tesla created a wireless controlled boat. He hoped to sell it to

navies around the world.

When he tried to sell it to the U.S, military, they showed little

interest.
Radio controlled technology remained largely unpopular until after

World War 1.

Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were two radically different, and yet

similar men. Both were unrivaled inventors, however they had

completely different outlooks on the world as a whole. Thomas Edison

was more of an old fashioned man. He saw the benefit of inventing

from a monetary standpoint and sought to use his brilliance for

personal gain. This mindset led to his actions concerning the

campaign he launched against AC power.

Edison went as far as to electrocute animals using AC power in an

attempt to dissuade the public. He had multiple patents in DC power

and sought to prevent AC's rise to popularity. Edison attempted to

stonewall scientific progress for his own gain. He is often hailed as the

man who made modern technology possible, and Tesla is forgotten

about.

On the other side of the coin, Nikola Tesla preferred knowledge and

inventing for its own sake. He never made a special effort to

make money from his work, although it came on its own in time. The
differences in thinking is part of the reason Edison and Tesla went their

separate ways.