Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Nikola Tesla, godfather of the 20th Century, deserves more credit

By Michael Pravica

Nikola Tesla can rightly be considered the godfather of the 20th Century and beyond. When discussing the lack of credit for his achievements, Tesla once remarked: “The present is theirs, the future, for which I have really worked is mine.”

By on Monday, May 11th, 2009 - 1,171 words.

teslaA recent May 5th article in the New York Times entitled: “A Battle to Preserve a Visionary’s Bold Failure,” discusses the potential sale of the remnants of Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe laboratory on Long Island and thus the potential loss of some of the last physical traces of one of humanity’s greatest minds. It also represents yet one more insult to one of the most misunderstood and unappreciated visionaries who sought only to aid all humanity.

2006 was the sesquicentennial of the birth of one of the worlds greatest geniuses, the Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. UNESCO dubbed 2006 the “year of Nikola Tesla.” Though you may have heard of the word “Tesla” as a unit of magnetic field (e.g. produced by an MRI machine); the ubiquitous discharging Tesla Coil seen in the old Frankenstein movies and at the Boston Museum of Science; a famous rock group; the name of Belgrade’s airport; David Bowie in “The Prestige”; or as a recently-introduced electric car company, few people are actually aware of the tremendous contributions made for us all by the refined, attractive yet deeply eccentric gentleman behind the name.

Born in 1856 to Serbian parents in a small village, Smiljan (which I visited in 1988), in the Austro-Hungarian empire (today’s Croatia), Tesla’s story of coming to America at age 28 with four cents in his pocket and “transforming” all society as we know it with his inventions was the quintessential story of the immigrants who made America what it is today. After quitting his employment with Thomas Edison who betrayed him, the young inventor went on to single-handedly invent the polyphase system of current generation (known as Alternating Current or “AC”) which ultimately overtook Edison’s Direct Current system as the superior method to transport electrical energy long distances and convert that energy into useful mechanical work.

Tesla first harnessed the enormous power of Niagara Falls as he built the world’s first hydroelectric power station there. Significant fractions of nations’ budgets in e.g, China (Three Gorges Dam), Zambia (Kariba Dam), and our own country (Hoover Dam) are dedicated to developing hydropower where the benefits of “free” power (many Gigawatts) can last for centuries. Today’s nuclear power industry is fashioned on the same basic principles of hydropower: the expansion of steam turns a turbine/dynamo, generating electrical power. The 60 Hz standard of our AC was set by Tesla. His designs for the electric dynamo are still in use today. Tesla also developed the polyphase electric motor which was suited for alternating current as well as the transformer which allowed easy and highly efficient conversion of voltage. The washing machine, dryer, garbage disposal, dishwasher, refrigerator, alternators, heat exchangers/air conditioners, fans, are all example of machines utilizing electric polyphase motors at their core. The Tesla Coil, popular in science museums and movies, enables the generation of enormous high frequency voltages sufficient to create lightning just as he did in Colorado Springs.

Tesla’s inventions had a far greater scope than just household-limited gadgets. His high frequency and high voltage research led to the development of the fluorescent light bulb, and he was likely the first person to create and study x-rays. He was also instrumental in developing the first particle accelerators due to his high voltage and high frequency contributions. Tesla invented the concept of “remote control” when he created a small remotely-controlled boat and submarine for the military. Sadly, the US military was far too primitive at the time to comprehend the use and scope of the invention until many years later. Tesla’s vision of modern warfare involved combat between robots and missiles instead of between human soldiers, thereby reducing casualties considerably. This closely resembles the modus operandi of today’s military (consider e.g. drones and guided missiles) except, tragically, that NATO, led by the US, illegally and viciously bombed his ancestral homeland slaughtering hundreds of civilians in Serbia in 1999 using the same technology that he enabled. So much for the gratitude of some American leaders!

Tesla was the first person to propose the concept of modern radar in 1900 and also invented a prototype spark plug for autos in 1898. Nikola Tesla was the true father of the radio, not Guglielmo Marconi, as recognized (posthumously by a few months) by the US Supreme Court in 1943. It was Tesla’s idea to use two tuned circuits (one for the transmitter, the other for the receiver) to broadcast information and energy from one to the other and reduce the chance of noise and interference between other transmitters. Without this concept, radio would be useless. Television, satellites, GPS, and cellular phones were all made possible by Tesla’s high frequency research and development of the wireless transmission of energy. Marconi visited Tesla’s lab in New York and incorporated Tesla’s inventions but never credited the inventor for this. Sadly, Marconi received the Nobel Prize and millions of dollars in royalties for his development of the radio. Tesla received nothing for his contribution.

Nikola Tesla was one of the most prolific inventors in human history with some 700 patents to his credit. Yet, for complex reasons, he is not given the credit sorely due him. Most of his failures can be ascribed to his lack of business sense, vicious competition from his rivals, and difficulties in securing the necessary funding for his work. He passed away on Orthodox Christmas, January 7, 1943 in the New Yorker Hotel, alone and a pauper. His cremated remains lie in a museum in Belgrade along with some of the papers/notebooks from his lifelong work.

It is my desire that Americans learn more about Nikola Tesla not only to develop some sense of appreciation for this gentleman’s tireless efforts, but that he also serve as an inspiration to us all in the realization of just how much one human being can do to improve the world. Tesla’s story is also a story of how important it is to fund innovation in an era where companies are increasingly looking to the “bottom line” and less inclined to fund research, and the US government, saddled with the costly occupation in Iraq also seems less interested in funding scientific research.

In a day and age where we worship entertainment “heroes” who honestly contribute little to bettering all humanity, we have completely lost perspective of who the real heroes are in our society – scientists and engineers such as Nikola Tesla — who more than anyone have improved all of our lives through their tireless and more often than not unrewarded sacrifices.

Nikola Tesla can rightly be considered the godfather of the 20th Century and beyond. When discussing the lack of credit for his achievements, Tesla once remarked: “The present is theirs, the future, for which I have really worked is mine.”

I encourage everyone to learn more about one of humanity’s greatest unsung heroes and remedy this gross neglect by recognizing his place in human history. A good start would be to declare his laboratory at Wardenclyffe a national historic monument. A website that is useful as a starting point for this goal is here.

33 Comments

  1. MattK says:
    May 11, 2009 at 19:39

    Thanks for this. Knew a little bit about Tesla before, but didn't quite realize the magnitude of his influence on how we live. Seems like a very decent human being too. Thanks for this learned account.

    Reply
  2. Ana Andzic Tomlinson says:
    May 12, 2009 at 21:19

    Big thanks to the author & eternal thanks to Nikola Tesla! I vote to declare his laboratory at Wardenclyffe a national historic monument . Ana Andzic Tomlinson

    Reply
  3. John Forthright says:
    May 13, 2009 at 12:32

    Throughout history there are stories of great scientists who do not get the credit they deserve. Does Newton deserve the credit for calculus or is it Leibneitz?
    I wonder though about your statement:
    "he was likely the first person to create and study x-rays"
    Can you provide evidence for this or the reasoning you believe it a fact?
    Nonetheless thanks for the article

    Reply
  4. pravica says:
    May 13, 2009 at 14:34

    Mr. Forthright;

    Completely agree with your comments about great scientists and I do generalize about our need to recognize them at the end of my article. Regarding your questions about Tesla's X-ray work, take a look at "Tesla Master of Lightning" by Margaret Cheney and Robert Uth (ISBN 0-7607-1005-8) pp. 75-77. On page 75, we read: "Tesla, while experimenting with his molecular-bombardment or 'carbon-button' lamp as reported in his lectures of 1892 had detected 'visible light, black light and a very special radiation.' With the radiation, he had made shadowgraph pictures on plates inside metal containers…." The x-ray discovery made by Roentgen (who was a good friend of Tesla's) was made December 28, 1895. Please also take a look at: http://teslasociety.com/biography.htm in which you will find the following discussion:

    "The Electrical Review in 1896 published X-rays of a man, made by Tesla, with X-ray tubes of his own design. They appeared at the same time as when Roentgen announced his discovery of X-rays. Tesla never attempted to proclaim priority. Roentgen congratulated Tesla on his sophisticated X-ray pictures, and Tesla even wrote Roentgen's name on one of his films. He experimented with shadowgraphs similar to those that later were to be used by Wilhelm Rontgen when he discovered X-rays in 1895. Tesla's countless experiments included work on a carbon button lamp, on the power of electrical resonance, and on various types of lightning. Tesla invented the special vacuum tube which emitted light to be used in photography. "

    Thank you for your interest in my article.

    Reply
  5. OliveraDespina says:
    June 24, 2009 at 02:11

    He was great, and the probably the greatest Croat ever lived, but the godfather of the century????

    Reply
    • Michael Pravica says:
      August 15, 2009 at 16:54

      Hi OliveraDespina:

      Nikola Tesla's father was a Serbian Orthodox priest serving in lands of the Austro-Hungarian empire which comprise today's Croatia. When he was born, he was a citizen of Austro-Hungary. HIs Mother was a Serbian from Vojvodina. Nikola Tesla was therefore never Croatian. During WWII, the Croatian Ustashe destroyed his home and his Father's Church. I visited the reconstructed Church and his birthplace in the town of Smiljan in 1988. The Church was again destroyed in the recent civil war in the former Yugoslavia. He was a Serbian Orthodox Christian – one of the founding fathers of the St. Save Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in New York City (near East 26th St and 6th ave) . Finally, given that almost all of our scientific progress has been based upon Tesla's many inventions (wireless transmission, AC, electric motors, spark plug, x-ray etc) , I say with certainty that he was the godfather of the 20th Century and beyond – one of humanity's greatest heroes. There are very few people the world over do not use devices stemming from his great work and inventions daily.

      Best regards,
      Michael Pravica

      Reply
    • bishop says:
      March 24, 2011 at 23:38

      he was a serb and you know that well! dont be jealous!

      Reply
    • guest says:
      March 25, 2011 at 16:22

      HE WAS A SERB! LOOK IT UP

      Reply
  6. Michal Martinu says:
    August 29, 2009 at 14:17

    Good morning,
    let me introduce my Internet pages about the wireless energy transfer developed by Nikola Tesla and the top of this was done by Edwin Gray with his fuelless electric engine. It was patented in 1975 and banned after it. Since 2000 this patent has appeared on Internet. I have made the physical computer analyses of this patent and I have created on the base of them my Internet pages:
    http://www.free-motor.org
    http://www.free-motor.org/dreams.htm
    These electrostatic motors can give even 50 [kW], but it would not be economical.

    Michal Martinů, Eng.
    Czech Republic

    Reply
  7. Nikola Tesla, godfather of the 20th Century, deserves more credit … | Tesla Kid says:
    May 12, 2010 at 18:24

    [...] Nikola Tesla, godfather of the 20th Century, deserves more credit … Tagged as: ideas, world Leave a comment Comments (0) Trackbacks (0) ( subscribe to comments on [...]

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  8. Chase Nemes says:
    May 18, 2010 at 16:04

    I’d like to thank you 4 ur neat post!

    Reply
  9. habika says:
    June 15, 2010 at 11:06

    Nikola Tesla was therefore never Croatian. During WWII, the Croatian Ustashe destroyed his home and his Father's Church. I visited the reconstructed Church and his birthplace in the town of Smiljan in 1988. The Church was again destroyed in the recent civil war in the former Yugoslavia. He was a Serbian Orthodox Christian – one of the founding fathers of the St. Save Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in New York City (near East 26th St and 6th ave) . Finally, given that almost all of our scientific progress has been based upon Tesla's many inventions (wireless transmission, AC, electric motors, spark plug, x-ray etc) ,
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  10. Hunafa says:
    July 24, 2010 at 17:18

    I don't feel that it matters where he was from. Just where he made his home is what matters. It is sad that a man of his caliber wasn't recognized until now, but in a since I don't feel the world was ready for his knowledge. I read a quote in the message by Tesla " The present is theirs, the future, for which i really worked is mine." Einstein with his E=MC squared lead to the making of nuclear weapons that can destroy cities and countries. I personally feel if we had followed all of his discoveries and inventions at the time they were presented to us this world wouldn't be here. Tesla is the Godfather of the 20th century and beyond. He should also be praised as the Godfather of technology

    Reply
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    November 18, 2010 at 06:19

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    March 24, 2011 at 08:29

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  14. Charles says:
    May 4, 2011 at 14:39

    Tesla is the king! What a shame for those people back then to have kinda banned him for almost every invention that he creates. :(

    Reply
  15. Britax Frontier 85 says:
    May 5, 2011 at 15:21

    Tesla should have been nominated to be the greatest inventors ever!

    Reply
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    June 20, 2011 at 05:17

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  19. Mim Bizic says:
    August 17, 2011 at 02:25

    I had no idea that Shockley's "invention" was rejected before because of Tesla's precedent, so thanks to Nik for posting that.

    However, I do know that Tesla was called the "Grandfather of Robotics," because of what he was able to demonstrate with the little boat he made move in the water from far away.

    I've always enjoyed the debate on Tesla and Edison, and found the movie "THE PRESTIGE" to hold lots of good information about his work in Colorado. Thanks everyone, for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Mim Bizic says:
    August 17, 2011 at 02:25

    I had no idea that Shockley's "invention" was rejected before because of Tesla's precedent, so thanks to Nik for posting that.

    However, I do know that Tesla was called the "Grandfather of Robotics," because of what he was able to demonstrate with the little boat he made move in the water from far away.

    I've always enjoyed the debate on Tesla and Edison, and found the movie "THE PRESTIGE" to hold lots of good information about his work in Colorado. Thanks everyone, for sharing.

    Reply
  21. canada goose canada says:
    September 3, 2011 at 07:49

    Tomorrow is another day , should have new features.

    Reply
  22. canada goose canada says:
    September 3, 2011 at 07:49

    Tomorrow is another day , should have new features.

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  23. Britax Frontier 85 says:
    September 20, 2011 at 02:35

    Tesla should indeed receive more credits. Especially that he was first to test xray that is not use by millions of people daily.

    Reply
  24. Strider Balance Bike says:
    October 5, 2011 at 22:33

    i agree wth john forthright, a lot of scientist have ded and han't really gotten the recognition they deserve, matter of fact, a lot of scientist are alive right now and are yet to get the accolade of their accomplishment. One thing to remember is that in the world of science, it usually a matter of who discovered or invent something first and if you make it known to the world that you really are the person who disscovered that thing first. You have to do a combination of both. For many scientists who have passed, they did the first but usually don't normally get a chance to do the second.

    Reply
  25. gift basket ideas says:
    October 20, 2011 at 03:43

    Tesla definitely need more credit for all the inventions and creations he shared with humanity which improved our lives significantly. gift basket ideas

    Reply
  26. Nick says:
    November 12, 2011 at 22:55

    Tesla also called Einstein a plagarist for his e=mc2, and he was correct. It is amazing to me that public schools praise the fraud Einstein, but never mention the genius Tesla. Tesla genius was a devine intervention, for men like him only come around once every 2 to 3 centuries.

    Reply
    • John says:
      November 14, 2011 at 15:24

      Correct! What has Einstein ever done for humanity? Sure, you've got the formula that everyone has heard of, but what use is it to people? What can I, as a member of the public, do with anything relating to the work of Einstein? By contrast, everyone uses Tesla's A/C power system, radio, computers, x-rays, you name it.

      Reply
    • Michael Pravica says:
      November 19, 2011 at 01:04

      Nick: I didn't know about Tesla's comments on Einstein but I will say that Einstein's wife, Mileva Maric (also a Serb) obviously collaborated with Einstein on "his" theory and should have also received some credit/co-authorship for her contributions (she was a mathematician and physicist) to his work.

      Reply
  27. james says:
    February 19, 2012 at 20:57

    Nikola Tesla byl určitě neobyčejný člověk, je škoda že hodně lidí neví nic o jeho životě blíže. Našel jsem také jeden zajímavý článek

    Nikola Tesla

    Reply

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Michael Pravica

I am an associate professor of physics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). I am also an activist and aspiring writer.

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