Nikola Tesla

A visionary inventor whose alternating current (AC) system revolutionized global electricity distribution.

Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), often overshadowed by Edison, pioneered technologies that underpin modern power systems and wireless communication. Born in Smiljan (modern-day Croatia), he developed the AC induction motor in 1887, enabling efficient long-distance electrical transmission.

His Wardenclyffe Tower project (1901–1906) aimed to provide free wireless energy worldwide—a concept deemed radical by industrialists. Tesla's patents on radio technology predated Marconi's, though credit disputes persisted. He also conceptualized radar, X-rays, and remote-controlled devices decades before their widespread adoption.

Despite dying penniless, Tesla's legacy thrives in every AC-powered device. His advocacy for renewable energy in the 1900s, documented in My Inventions, foreshadowed 21st-century sustainability movements. Museums like Tesla Science Center preserve his unbuilt prototypes, including a 'death ray' for peacekeeping.