Science · United States
Nikola Tesla
Arrived in America broke at 28, left the world AC power
Born Jul 10, 1856 · Died Jan 7, 1943
See it at your ageBy age
- 0Born in the Austrian Empire, in what is now Croatia
- 16Sick with cholera for nine months at 17
- 18Started engineering school in Graz at 19
- 24Took a job at the Budapest telephone exchange at 25
- 27Landed in America at 28 with four cents
- 28Walked away from Edison at 29
- 30At 31, his own company and an AC induction motor
- 32Sold his patents to Westinghouse at 32
- 36Lit the Chicago World's Fair with AC at 37
- 38At 39, helped design the Niagara Falls power plant
- 42High-voltage experiments in Colorado Springs at 43
- 44Broke ground on the Wardenclyffe tower at 45
- 60Awarded the Edison Medal at 61
- 86Died alone in a New York hotel room at 86
Every entry, with its source
At 0
- Jul 10, 1856
Born in the Austrian Empire, in what is now Croatia
Son of an Orthodox priest. The story goes that he was born during a thunderstorm.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 16
- c. 1873
Sick with cholera for nine months at 17
His father promised to let him study engineering if he pulled through.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 18
- c. 1875
Started engineering school in Graz at 19
Top marks his first year. Two years later, gambling and failed classes ended it.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 24
- c. 1881
Took a job at the Budapest telephone exchange at 25
He later said the idea for the AC motor came to him here.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 27
- Jun 1884
Landed in America at 28 with four cents
Hired at Edison's company on the strength of one letter of introduction.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 28
- c. 1885
Walked away from Edison at 29
The bonus he was promised never came. He did manual labor for a while to get by.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 30
- c. 1887
At 31, his own company and an AC induction motor
Patented the following year.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 32
- Jul 1888
Sold his patents to Westinghouse at 32
That put him in the middle of the current war, against Edison and direct current.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 36
- c. 1893
Lit the Chicago World's Fair with AC at 37
27 million visitors saw for themselves that AC was safe.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 38
- c. 1895
At 39, helped design the Niagara Falls power plant
A lab fire the same year destroyed most of his papers.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 42
- c. 1899
High-voltage experiments in Colorado Springs at 43
Testing wireless power transmission.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 44
- c. 1901
Broke ground on the Wardenclyffe tower at 45
The money ran out and it was never finished.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 60
- c. 1917
Awarded the Edison Medal at 61
A prize named for his old rival.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
At 86
- Jan 7, 1943
Died alone in a New York hotel room at 86
300 patents. The AC standard he built is still what runs the grid.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Sources: en.wikipedia.org