Nikola Tesla (Serbian)

Visionary inventor whose AC electricity system revolutionized modern power distribution

While Tesla is known globally, his Serbian roots and philosophical vision are often overlooked. Born in 1856 in Smiljan (modern Croatia to Serbian parents), Tesla's polyphase AC system defeated Edison's DC in the "War of Currents," enabling long-distance electrical transmission.

His lesser-known innovations include:

• Wireless communication concepts predating Marconi
• Early X-ray experiments
• Visionary ideas about renewable energy

Tesla's "World Wireless System" proposed free global energy access - a radical idea rejected by financiers like J.P. Morgan. Today, his AC patents remain foundational to all modern power grids. The Serbian-American inventor died penniless but revolutionized how humanity harnesses electricity.