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He was born
He was born in Smilian, Croatia. His parents were Djuka Mandie and Milutin Tesla.
https://www.biography.com/people/nikola-tesla-9504443 -
Nikola catches cholera
He caught Cholera soon after he graduated high school. In his childhood we wasn't known to be in the best of health, so it wasn't the most surprising. This was different however.
He was bed ridden for nine months and was very close to death multiple times while he was sick. He recovered though and with this sickness, his dad decided to let him go to engineering school.
https://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/TeslaBio.htm
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/extraordinary-life- -
First ideas of AC Motor
While he was at engineering school, He came up with the idea for the first designs of his AC motor, while on a walk. He made the first sketches of its rotating electromagnets in the sand of the path.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla -
Tesla works for Edison
Tesla moved to New York when was invited to work for the Edison Company. He worked on improving the direct current motors that Edison developed.
Then Edison told him he would give Tesla $50,000 bonus if he makes more solutions for the motor. Tesla brought in 24 new designs but didn't get the money as promised. Tesla asked him about it and Edison said, Tesla, you don't understand our American humor." Tesla quit soon after.
https://www.corrosion-doctors.org -
Tesla Electric Company
He tried to start his own Electric Company and titled it Tesla Electric Company. This was very unsuccessful, only earning $2 a day, and he abandoned it by 1887 because someone was willing the to support him in his research for alternating currents.
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla -
George Westinghouse
May 1888, George Westinghouse, bought the patent rights to Tesla’s polyphase system of alternating-current dynamos. George then gave Nikola a lab to work in. But, after a few years Nikola left and went solo once more.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla
https://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/TeslaBio.htm -
The 1890s
This was a busy time for Tesla. Around this time he invented the Tesla Coil. In 1893 he helped light the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Then after this he helped put in AC Electric motors at Niagara Falls to help generate electricity. Also in 1995 his lab burned down. In 1998 in Madison Square Garden he piloted a radio-controlled boat around a pool, to give show short range radio wave communications
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla -
Colorado Springs
He was in Colorado Springs for about two years. He discovered terrestrial stationary waves. With this he proved that Earth could be used as a conductor.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla -
Wardenclyffe
With money he got from J.P. Morgan, he began building a global communications network centered on a giant tower at Wardenclyffe, on Long Island. The whole idea was to make a tower to make worldwide communication possible. This was abandoned.
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla -
His decline
Later in life his mental health started to decline. He spent his last years feeding pigeons, claiming he could talk to them, and coming up with crazy ideas. He claimed he could build a "death ray", a weapon to end all wars. He called it the teleforce.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikola-Tesla
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla
https://allthatsinteresting.com/tesla-death-ray -
His Death
On January 7th, 1943, Nikola Tesla died in his hotel room he was staying, in New York.
https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/nikola-tesla
