Nikola Tesla Remembered for His Contribution to Electricity
By Brooke, January 7, 2012, News
Electricity, running water, lights…these modern marvels are the things I take for granted. Every day I flip on lights, take a warm shower, turn on the heater, etc. never giving a thought about how electricity works or where the technology came from.
That is until today. It marks the (1943-2012) 69th anniversary of Nikola Tesla’s death. Now, why is Nikola Tesla so important and why are we highlighting the anniversary of his death? Well, in short, he was an important contributor to the birth of commercial electricity. And since we are Bounce Energy, a Texas electricity company, we thought it would be fitting to recognize this electricity icon and his accomplishments.
Nikola Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan Lika, Croatia. He was the son of a Serbian Orthodox clergyman and a female inventor, in her own right, of household appliances. He studied engineering at the Austrian Polytechnic School and attended the University of Prague. He worked as an electrical engineer in Budapest and later immigrated to the United States in 1884 to work for Thomas Edison in his lab in New Jersey.
While working in Edison’s lab, Tesla made the revolutionizing discovery of the alternating current of electricity that not only brought him acclaim but also completely contradicted Edison’s theory of direct electricity. He then developed his idea further into what he is most known for, which is the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system. His theory is the basis of how electric power is delivered to businesses and residences today. In addition to electricity, he’s also known for inventing fluorescent lighting, the Tesla induction motor and the Tesla coil. During his life’s work, Tesla’s patents and theoretical work also formed the basis of wireless communication and the radio. In total, Nikola Telsa was granted more than one hundred patents and invented countless unpatented inventions.
Nicola Tesla died in New York City on January 7, 1943 alone and without much money to his name. He was regarded more as a “mad scientist” by the end of his life due to his eccentric personality and somewhat unbelievable theories. But one thing still remains, as according to a speech by Vice President Behrend of the Institute of Electrical Engineers “his name marks an epoch in the advance of electrical science.” Nicola Tesla will always be remembered for his contribution to electricity.
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