What was nikola teslas greatest invention

Born in Smiljan, Croatia, in , the math and physics genius contributed innovations that continue to impact our lives daily today. He held over three hundred patents, but was only recognized for some, indicating many of his ideas were tested and failed or never became well known. In , upon graduation from the Technical University of Graz and Philosophy at the University of Prague, he drew the first sketches of his idea to build an electromagnetic motor.

His first job entailed retailing DC power plants for ConEd which led to his immigration to the states in When Edison reneged on his offer to pay Tesla to solve his DC power design flaws, Tesla quit and moved on to his next endeavor. He applied for many patents for his AC power discoveries which were later sold to Westinghouse.

AC power has been widely used since its discovery and still has some applications in radio and television transmission. Here, Tesla created a tower topped by his infamous coils which shot electric sparks through the air and circulated the electricity around the coils by alternating current. Building upon the revelations of the Tesla coil, Tesla sought to offer wireless power for free to all by transmitting information from one tower to another using resonance.

Though Tesla was indeed responsible for creating the AC motor, many still believe it was Edison's invention, given how cunning Edison was as a businessman and ensured he could continuously promote his DC motor. Tesla being not nearly as well-versed in business, did not promote his AC motor nearly as well. Because of this, many are unaware of this incredible feat by Tesla, despite AC being used globally today. You're probably familiar with the infamous coil that shoots off bolts of purple and blue lightning.

Well, this fascinating device was the brainchild of Nikola Tesla. Tesla invented the coil, otherwise known as an electrical resonant transformer circuit, in , just a few years after he developed the AC motor. Tesla wanted to provide the whole world with electricity without the need for grids or thousands of wires.

Tesla conducted a lot of experimental procedures with electricity, some of which weren't exactly safe. The Tesla Coil, in particular, was a little risky to create. Extremely high voltages are required to operate a Tesla coil, and touching it while it is on can be very dangerous.

However, this mechanism could indeed generate and transmit electricity wirelessly. However, this technology is not used commercially today. So, why is this? Firstly, a considerable chunk of the electricity produced by a Tesla Coil will simply radiate into space, making for a lot of waste.

Secondly, it would be impossible to track how much electricity any given customer is receiving, so billing would become a huge issue. Among a number of other reasons, these downsides make the use of wireless electricity a little too complicated. Yep, Tesla actually invented the first remote control in history.

After suffering a nervous breakdown following the closure of his free energy project, Tesla eventually returned to work, primarily as a consultant. But as time went on, his ideas became progressively more outlandish and impractical. He grew increasingly eccentric, devoting much of his time to the care of wild pigeons in the parks of New York City.

Poor and reclusive, Tesla died of coronary thrombosis on January 7, , at the age of 86 in New York City, where he had lived for nearly 60 years. However, the legacy of the work Tesla left behind him lives on to this day. In , a street sign identifying "Nikola Tesla Corner" was installed near the site of his former New York City laboratory, at the intersection of 40th Street and 6th Avenue. In , a group of engineers founded Tesla Motors , a car company named after Tesla dedicated to building the first fully electric-powered car.

In , Tesla unveiled its first electric car, the Roadster. A high-performance sports vehicle, the Roadster helped changed the perception of what electric cars could be. In , Tesla launched the Model S, a lower-priced model that, in , set the Motor Trend world record for 0 to 60 miles per hour acceleration at 2. Since Tesla's original forfeiture of his free energy project, ownership of the Wardenclyffe property has passed through numerous hands.

Several attempts have been made to preserve it, but in , and efforts to have it declared a national historic site failed. Then, in , a group called the Tesla Science Center TSC was formed with the intention of purchasing the property and turning it into a museum dedicated to the inventor's work.

In , public interest in the project peaked when Matthew Inman of TheOatmeal. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. George Westinghouse is best known for inventing an air brake system that made railroads safer and promoting alternating current technology, which revolutionized the world's light and power industries.

The alternating current created magnetic poles that reversed themselves without mechanical aid, as DC motors required, and caused an armature the revolving part of any electromechanical device to whirl around the motor. This was his rotating magnetic field put into practice as a motor; within two years, he would use it in AC generators and transformers as well. Tesla coil : The electrical coil named for its inventor is one of Tesla's showiest inventions, and he used it to its full dramatic extent in demonstrations held in his New York City lab.

The coil uses polyphase alternating currents -- another of Tesla's discoveries -- to create a transformer capable of producing very high voltages. It brought forth impressive crackling sparks and sheets of electric flame that impressed the electrically savvy and the layman alike.

They're primarily used for entertainment today. Radio : Tesla first sent a wireless transmission from his lab at Houston Street in New York City to a boat on the Hudson River -- 25 miles 40 km away -- in ; he would've done this sooner but for a fire that destroyed his previous lab in Tesla invented everything we associate with radio -- antennas, tuners and the like -- but an inventor named Guglielmo Marconi was given the actual credit.

In , the U. Sources Kosanovic, Bogdan R.