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Nikola Tesla. A timeline by Daniel Young. Birth of a Genius - 1856. On July 10 th , 1856 in Smiljan , Austria-Hungary (what is now Croatia), Nikola Tesla was born to Milutin and Duka Tesla. Legend states that he was born during a lightning storm.
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Nikola Tesla A timeline by Daniel Young
Birth of a Genius - 1856 • On July 10th, 1856 in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary (what is now Croatia), Nikola Tesla was born to Milutin and Duka Tesla. • Legend states that he was born during a lightning storm. • Soon after his birth, he and his family moved a few miles to the larger town of Gospic.
A Change in Destiny - 1873 • Nikola’s father, Milutin, was a priest in the Serbian Orthodox Church and intended for Nikola to follow in his footsteps. • In 1873 Nikola contracted Cholera and was near death for 9 months. • His father promised that if he survived he could follow his dream and go to an engineering school.
A Depression - 1875 to 1880 • In 1875 Tesla lost his scholarship to the Austrian Polytechnic School after an argument with one of his professors over the Gramme Dynamo. He later dropped out. • Tesla moved to Maribor, Slovenia and refused to return home. However he was forcibly deported in 1879. • In the same year his father died of a sudden illness. • Tesla resigned himself to teach in Gospic, but was depressed as it was not what he wanted to do with his life.
The Spark - 1881 • In 1881 Tesla’s uncle arranged for him to work for the Budapest Telephone Exchange in Hungary. • He was appointed Chief Electrician and immediately began to make improvements. • Later that year he invented an amplified device that greatly improved the telephone system in Budapest.
The Beginning - 1882 to 1884 • In early 1882 Nikola Tesla had suddenly came up with a practical method for using Alternating Current. • Later the same year he moved to Paris and demonstrated the first AC motor in 1883. • Later in 1883 Tesla was offered a job at the Edison Company. • He arrived in New York City in 1884 and was immediately hired by Edison.
A Swift Blow - 1885 • Edison offers Tesla $50,000 if he can improve on his DC dynamos. Tesla does and greatly exceeds Edison’s expectations. • Despite this Edison refuses to pay stating “you don’t understand American Humor.” • Nikola Tesla immediately resigned and formed the Tesla Electric Light Company only to have it torn out from under him after completing work on an arc lamp.
Rebound - 1887 to 1889 • In 1887 Tesla founded the Tesla Electric Company with the support of Western Union director, Alfred Brown. • In 1888 Tesla sells his first Alternating Current patents. • In late 1889 Nikola Tesla opened his Grand Street Laboratory and began work on radio waves and the wireless transmission of energy.
Rivalries and New Discoveries - 1890 • In August of 1890 Edison began a campaign to smear the image of Westinghouse, an ally of Tesla, because of his use of Alternating Current in electric chairs. • Later the same year Tesla made several discoveries, including X-Rays and most importantly the wireless transmission of energy.
The Citizen and the Coil- 1891 • In July of 1891 Nikola Tesla gained his American citizenship. He is reported to have said it was worth more to him than all of his inventions. • Also in 1891 Nikola Tesla invented a device that amplifies electrical energy, the Tesla Coil.