Nikola Tesla is a man of fascinating mystery to us. However, many of us do not know much about this pioneer of wireless technology. He also envisioned several inventions and great discoveries. He set up the groundwork for a lot of unique creations.
Tesla was a great scientist, but not much is known about him. His contemporary, Thomas Edison, became more popular and overshadowed him. But without him, we would not be so technologically advanced as we are now.
Tesla’s contributions to the world of science and technology are immense. He left a strong impact, and his inventions are still valuable.
Most of us know Tesla as the ‘father of Alternating Current.’ But there are more intriguing facts to know about him. So, let us take a look at Tesla’s life and these different interesting facts about him.
There was immense lightning storm the day Tesla was born:
Tesla was born on the midnight of 9th and 10th July in the year 1856. And as confirmed by his family members, there was a massive thunderstorm during the time of his birth.
And his mother specifically said that he will be a child of light.
Tesla was a brilliant student.
This isn’t really a surprise. He was a knowledgeable person. He amazed his tutors by being able to do calculus in his head by the age of 17.
He was such a great student that he finished high school one year earlier than his classmates. However, the scenario changed a bit during his university years. He got into gambling and suffered significant losses. Thus, he eventually dropped out and never graduated from university.
Tesla’s father wanted him to be a priest:
His father’s wish was for Tesla to become a priest. But he was always interested in science and technology. This is why when he was sick with cholera, he somehow convinced his father to let him follow his dreams.
Tesla and Edison had a complicated relationship:
Since they were contemporaries, people always compared their work. But did you know that Tesla worked for Edison at the beginning of his career?
He worked for Edison for quite some time. And later quit it to pursue his own dreams of making the alternating current induction motor. But the rumors of their rivalry were most likely untrue.
Edison even attended a conference where Tesla was the speaker. Both of them were working on different currents, Tesla for alternating current and Edison for direct current. But they were not exactly enemies.
Edison helped Tesla with a lab when the latter’s lab got damaged in an accident. So, even if they had certain differences in the beginning, they respected each other.
Tesla’s earthquake device:
Tesla made an earthquake device and experimented with it in front of Mark Twain.
People believe that Tesla had an earthquake device in his laboratory. But the truth is that it was a high-frequency oscillator and not exactly an earthquake machine.
Mark Twain had a first-hand experience of that machine, and he was utterly shocked by it.
Tesla also invented a special remote-control boat:
Tesla was a man of scientific technology. His mind worked miraculously and created several new things. He also invented a small remote-control boat.
The boat actually functioned by radio signals.
Tesla filed a patent for the device in the hopes that it could be used in battles as a substitute for humans. This would, in turn, decrease the risk of several people losing their lives.
A famous architect designed Tesla’s laboratory:
Tesla was really particular about the place he worked. He convinced Stanford White, his friend and the popular architect of that time, to build his laboratory.
He designed it specifically, keeping Tesla’s requirements in mind. The lab was backed by a huge and tall tower.
He developed the smartphone technology years back:
In the year 1901, Tesla had the idea of developing a new means of immediate communication. He had undoubtedly a brilliant mind.
And he envisioned the idea of smartphone technology and wireless internet connection way before anyone else did.
Tesla also developed a hydroelectric power system:
He referred to his hydroelectric power system as ‘running on the wheelwork of nature.’
Tesla was the one to design the first hydroelectric power plant in the U.S. This hydroelectric power plant was set up at Niagara Falls. This made him famous all over the world.
Tesla had a great memory and a powerful imagination:
His memory was so good that he could learn and memorize the pictures and lines in his books. Thus, you could say that he basically had a photographic memory. He also had excellent imagination skills. He used this combination of imagination and a great memory to fuel his inventions.
Tesla was an extremely talented person. He could also speak 8 languages.
Tesla was quite fond of pigeons:
This is surely an interesting fact about this great inventor. He used to feed the pigeons every day in the park. But there was an injured pigeon who came there regularly to visit him.
Tesla spent an amount of approximately $2000 to make a device for the pigeon. The device was built in a way that it would fix the injured wing and leg of that pigeon.
Tesla was quite obsessive about certain things:
He particularly did not like pearls. He did not even talk to women who wore pearls. Once, he sent his secretary back home just because she was wearing pearls. He had a great obsession with the number three. He also had insomnia and did not sleep much at night.
He was really scared of germs:
Tesla suffered from cholera when he was young, and since then, he was pretty scared of germs. This is also the reason why he was so particular about his hygiene and cleanliness.
He wore white gloves every time he went for dinner. He cleaned everything multiple times until he was satisfied with it.
Tesla had many famous friends:
Tesla hung out with a lot of famous people. He also spent a lot of his time living in different hotels in Manhattan.
Some of his famous friends were John Muir, Henry Clay Frick, and Thomas Fortune Ryan. But his focus was always on his experiments and theories. He never was interested in making money.
He invented a lot of other things except the alternating current:
Tesla did work on a lot of other important inventions. Some of them are- electric light, x-ray, radio, electric motors, robotics, and wireless communications.
He also made a transformer. And this transformer was popularly called the ‘Tesla coil.’ He had 700 patents in his name.
10th July is Nikola Tesla Day:
Most people are not aware of this. But a lot of states in the U.S celebrate 10th July as Nikola Tesla Day. This is done to honor his incredible talent and wisdom.
His contributions to the field of science and technology are immense. And our present world will probably not look like this if it wasn’t for Tesla and his various inventions.
He wanted to ‘light-up’ the entire Earth:
Tesla always thought different.
He has a theory that the gases in the Upper atmosphere of Earth can carry Electric Currents of High Frequency and it could end up creating a ‘terrestrial night light effect’ and could light up or illuminate the entire Earth wireless.
He was funded by the founder of J.P.Morgan:
Tesla was so smart and always presented his inventions the end objectives so clearly that everyone would believe him.
He managed to raise funding for his Tower for Wireless Transmission of Messages from none other the famous investor J.P.Morgan.
But after the construction of the 186 meter tower, J.P.Morgan refused to fund more after he realised that Tesla did not tell him that the hidden agenda to make the Tower was for his dream of Wireless Electricity Transmission.