Nikola Tesla

Early Life

Nikola Tesla was born to Serbian parents in Smiljan, then in the Military Frontier of the Austrian Empire and now in Croatia, on the night of 9–10 July 1856. His father, Milutin Tesla, was an Eastern Orthodox priest, and his mother, Đuka Tesla, was unschooled but, by Tesla's own account, highly intelligent and inventive. He was one of five children. As a boy he was often ill, but he was a bright student with a strong memory and a love of poetry, and he showed an early imagination for machines.

Education

Tesla trained for an engineering career at the Technical University at Graz, Austria, and then at the University of Prague. At Graz he first saw the Gramme dynamo, which worked as a generator and, reversed, as a motor, and he began to think about how alternating current could be used to advantage. He did not receive a degree from either institution. Later, at Budapest, he visualised the principle of the rotating magnetic field and drew up plans for an induction motor.

Career

After studying engineering at Graz and Prague without taking a degree, Tesla worked for the Continental Edison Company in Paris from 1882, building his first induction motor in Strasbourg in 1883. He sailed for the United States in 1884 and worked briefly for Thomas Edison in New York before the two men parted. In 1888 George Westinghouse bought the patent rights to his polyphase alternating-current system, and the years that followed were the contest between Edison's direct current and the Tesla-Westinghouse alternating current, which alternating current won. Tesla set up his own laboratory in New York, where he worked on high-frequency and high-voltage experiments and invented the Tesla coil in 1891; he became a United States citizen the same year. His system lit the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition in 1893 and the Niagara Falls power station that followed. From 1899 to 1900 he experimented at Colorado Springs with high-voltage transmission, and from 1900 he built the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island, a wireless world broadcasting station funded by J. Pierpont Morgan, which was abandoned when Morgan withdrew support. His later work, on turbines and other projects, was held back by lack of funds, and he died in New York on 7 January 1943.

Achievements

Tesla's central achievement was the alternating-current system that carries electricity to homes and buildings. He discovered the rotating magnetic field, built the first induction motor, and developed the polyphase system of dynamos, transformers and motors that George Westinghouse bought in 1888. That system won the struggle against Edison's direct current: it lit the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and powered the first generating station at Niagara Falls, delivering electricity to Buffalo by 1896. He invented the Tesla coil in 1891, demonstrated a radio-controlled boat in 1898, and was granted more than 100 United States patents. He received the Edison Medal in 1917. The electric car company Tesla, Inc., founded in 2003, was named in his honour.

• Discovered and patented the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery
• Developed the polyphase system of alternating-current dynamos, transformers and motors, licensed to George Westinghouse in 1888
• Built the first induction motor in 1883 while working in Strasbourg
• Invented the Tesla coil in 1891, a high-voltage induction coil widely used in radio technology
• Designed the alternating-current system that lit the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and powered the first generating station at Niagara Falls, which delivered power to Buffalo by 1896
• Demonstrated a radio-controlled boat in 1898, an early example of remote control
• Received more than 100 United States patents
• Awarded the Edison Medal in 1917, the highest honour of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
• The electric car company Tesla, Inc., founded in 2003, was named in his honour

Legacy

Tesla is remembered as the inventor whose alternating-current system made electric power practical over long distances. Almost all electricity generation and distribution today uses the alternating-current principles he developed, and the induction motor he built is the basis of most alternating-current machinery. The Tesla coil still bears his name and is used in radio and electronics. His papers and belongings are held by the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, founded in 1952, and his archive is inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. He died in New York on 7 January 1943, aged 86, and in 2003 the electric car company Tesla, Inc. was founded in his honour.

Contributions

Tesla's contribution was to make electricity travel. Direct current, which Edison championed, could not be sent far without heavy losses; Tesla's alternating-current system, with its dynamos, transformers and induction motors, could be generated at a power station, stepped up for transmission and stepped down for use, which made it possible to light whole cities from a single station. His rotating magnetic field is the principle behind most alternating-current machinery, and his work on high-frequency currents and the Tesla coil fed into the development of radio. His Wardenclyffe Tower, though never completed, was an early attempt at wireless transmission of messages and power.

Notable Works

• Polyphase alternating-current system (1888)
• Induction motor (1883)
• Tesla coil (1891)
• Teleautomatic (radio-controlled) boat (1898)
• Wardenclyffe Tower (1901–1917)

Milestones

• 1856 — Born on 9/10 July in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (now in Croatia), to Serbian parents Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Nikola Tesla Museum
• 1875 — Began engineering studies at the Technical University at Graz, Austria Source: Wikipedia (cross-checked)
• 1882 — Went to work in Paris for the Continental Edison Company Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1883 — Built his first induction motor while on assignment in Strasbourg Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1884 — Emigrated to the United States; worked briefly for Thomas Edison in New York Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1888 — George Westinghouse bought the patent rights to Tesla's polyphase alternating-current system in May Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1891 — Invented the Tesla coil; became a United States citizen Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1893 — Westinghouse's alternating-current system lit the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1896 — The Niagara Falls power station delivered Tesla's alternating current to Buffalo Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1898 — Demonstrated a radio-controlled boat at Madison Square Garden Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1899 — Began high-voltage experiments at Colorado Springs Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1901 — Began building the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 1917 — Awarded the Edison Medal, the highest honour of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1943 — Died on 7 January in New York City, aged 86 Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Timeline

1. 10 July 1856

   Born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (now in Croatia), to Serbian parents

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Nikola Tesla Museum
2. 1875

   Began engineering studies at the Technical University at Graz, Austria

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
3. 1882

   Went to work in Paris for the Continental Edison Company

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
4. 1883

   Built his first induction motor while on assignment in Strasbourg

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
5. 1884

   Emigrated to the United States and worked briefly for Thomas Edison in New York

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
6. 1888

   George Westinghouse bought the patent rights to Tesla's polyphase alternating-current system

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
7. 1891

   Invented the Tesla coil; became a United States citizen

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
8. 1893

   Westinghouse's alternating-current system lit the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
9. 1896

   The Niagara Falls power station delivered Tesla's alternating current to Buffalo

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
10. 1898

    Demonstrated a radio-controlled boat at Madison Square Garden

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
11. 1899

    Began high-voltage experiments at Colorado Springs

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
12. 1901

    Began building the Wardenclyffe Tower on Long Island for wireless transmission

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
13. 1917

    Awarded the Edison Medal by the American Institute of Electrical Engineers

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
14. 7 January 1943

    Died in New York City, aged 86

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Nikola Tesla — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 12 November 2026)
2. Nikola Tesla — Wikipedia — Wikipedia (accessed 12 November 2026)
3. Nikola Tesla Museum — Google Arts & Culture — Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade (via Google Arts & Culture) (accessed 12 November 2026)
4. File:Tesla circa 1890.jpeg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 12 November 2026)

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