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Nikola Tesla is born: Trust Versus Mistrust
Nikola Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, to Milutin and Duka Tesla. Erikson's first stage is trust versus mistrust, early on trust from parents and caregivers controls an important role for babies from birth to 18 months. The parent's treatment essentially creates the environment for the baby's future. For example, having mistrust can lead to fearing the world and distrusting those around them. On the other hand, Trust can lead to believing the world is safe and peaceful. -
Nikola Tesla's Pigeon: Intimacy versus Isolation
Tesla never married but he also did not feel alone. He was often visited by a white pigeon that he had said he fell in love with. Tesla had said, "I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me." This meant that Tesla chose to feel intimacy for a portion of his life until 1922 when his white pigeon had passed away. Tesla said that the pigeon told him that she was dying and when she passed away he was heartbroken and until he had passed he felt isolated since he never married.