Mostly remembered for being part of an epic struggle against the American inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison, that tale is largely exaggerated as are many connected to the life of the Serbian-American genius. He spoke of creating wireless power, death rays and even flying machines, yet Nikola Tesla was no crank. Certainly a one-of-a kind mind, he was the creator of the AC power, induction motor and hydroelectric power systems, inventions that helped shape the world as we know it.
Nikola Tesla was born at midnight between 9 and 10 July 1856 in Smiljan in the Austrian Empire, in what today is Croatia. Part of a large family, he was one of five children. However, tragedy struck when his older brother Dané was killed while Tesla was just a child. This incident turned out to have a profound effect on the young Tesla. “Dané sadly died quite young in a horse riding accident and his parents were absolutely devastated,” begins historian W Bernard Carlson, author of Tesla: Inventor Of The Electrical Age. “But young Nikola was traumatised. He had an eidetic memory. For example, if you told him to think about a juicy apple, he could visualise that apple in front of him. So after his brother died, his mind was flooded with horrific images and he would get terrible nightmares that overwhelmed him.” Tragedy aside, however, Tesla’s imagination – once he had learned to control it – would soon become one of the inventor’s greatest gifts.
This story is from the Issue 132 edition of All About History UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 132 edition of All About History UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Greatest Battles - BATTLE OF SHIROYAMA
KAGOSHIMA, JAPAN, 1-24 SEPTEMBER 1877
WOMEN IN COMPUTING
From Ada Lovelace to the codebreakers of WWII, John Croucher discusses the role of women in computing
"IT'S IMPORTANT THAT BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEOPLE OWN OUR OWN HISTORY"
Blindness and blind people have usually been framed in history as inspirational or tragic, but now Selina Mills wants to question that narrative
Bess of Hardwick ELIZABETH'S NEMESIS
Who was the ambitious Tudor noblewoman who proved to be a thorn in Gloriana’s side?
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SMUGGLING
Discover the age when the coasts of Britain were awash with illegal goods
What's in a name?
20 strangest royal nicknames from history (and where they came from)
GODS OF EGYPT
Discover how ancient Egyptians explained the mysteries of the world
OPPENHEIMER
Christopher Nolan's latest history-themed blockbuster is an artistic triumph
JAPAN HAD REMAINED ISOLATIONIST?
While Japan keeps its distance, overall supremacy of the region could be up for grabs
BATTLE OF SHIPKA PASS
SHIPKA, BULGARIA, JULY 1877-JANUARY 1878