1.2 – Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla is arguably the poster child of the mad scientist world. He was the closest in real life to the stereotypical mad scientist we see today in everything from kids movies to video games. Nikola was arguably one of the greatest minds of the 20th century doing very early work on X-Rays and radio transmission but later in life his research led him closer to science fiction then real science. With secret  blueprints for gigantic death rays in his head, concepts for a projector of human thoughts and plans to wirelessly transmit electricity across the Atlantic. Tesla earned a reputation for being a bit of a kook.

Edison VS. Tesla

Tesla moved to the US from Croatia in 1884 working for Thomas Edison whom you may remember invented a little thing known as the light bulb. Tesla and Edison would go on to become great rivals as Tesla improved upon Edison’s harnessing of electricity but received little compensation. In 1885 Tesla claimed he could improve Edison’s woefully inefficient direct current electricity generators and Edison ensured Tesla he would be given $50,000 if he really could. Tesla worked strenuously for months before pulling off the feat. Of course he did not recieve the $50,000 prize Edison had offered instead being offered a $10 a week rise in his salary. Tesla turned the offer down and resigned.

Nikola Tesla

Achievements

Perhaps Nikola’s most valuable work was in harnessing Alternating Current. Alternating current was preferable because it can travel long distances more efficiently then its direct current brother. Tesla came up with the 3 phase alternating current we all use to this day.

It is thought that Tesla was the first person (albeit by accident) to capture an X-Ray while photographing the writer Mark Twain. Tesla was one of the first pioneers of utilizing radio waves and invented the spark plug that has been used in every single internal combustion engine ever since. Over all Tesla was granted around 300 patents in his lifetime and after his death the Italian govt recognized his work on the radio by taking the patent for the radio off of Marconi and granting it posthumously to Tesla.

Where is the mad?

Ok he sounds like a hell of a guy. Where is the crazy? Well here is where it gets interesting. Tesla suffered severely from what today we would know as OCD but at the time was seen as awkwardness. He would only stay in hotel rooms divisible by three. He would often have to walk around the block 3 times before entering his house and his dinner had to be served by the same waiter at the same time every single night. If he read one book by an author he would have to read them all. Tesla was terrified of germs and would request 18 napkins to polish his silverware with before eating. He claimed that he slept on 2 hours a night although admitted to the occasional nap during the day.

Not to mention his questionable belief that the world should begin castrating those not deemed fit to reproduce.

The wireless communication tower of Tesla’s design

Wireless Electricity

One of Nikola Tesla’s less successful endeavors was the quest to transmit electricity without using any wires across the Atlantic. It started as an attempt to transmit radio waves but, when investors lost interest after Marconi successfully reached that milestone first, Tesla, desperate to keep the money coming in, claimed the 187ft tower he had built could be used to transmit electricity also through the airwaves. His pleas fell on deaf ears however and the tower was later torn down by the American military for scrap.

A modern Tesla Coil in action

Creating Lightning

Nikola began work on his famous lightning creators, known as Tesla coils. A tesla coil is essentially a giant capacitor which stores electricity. once it has been stored it can be released as a gigantic streak of man made lightning. Today Tesla coils are largely used for testing product safety. But in Science fiction and video games they have been utilized as deadly weapons frying anyone unlucky enough to walk in their range. Nikola still holds the record for creating the largest ever man made lightning bolt at 130ft. The thunder from that Lightning could be heard 22 miles away.

Splitting the Earth

Tesla discovered the resonant frequencies of the Earth. He did so years before they could be confirmed by modern science. He sent waves of energy into the Earth from his Manhattan Lab and caused an earthquake which shook many blocks around him. Windows smashed and plaster fell off the walls. Tesla theorized that this method could be used to take down the Empire state building or even to split the entire planet in two.

Hard Times

Later on in life Nikola Tesla was increasingly poor and reclusive. It is sad to think that such a genius could of been as unlucky as he was in life. As he became more and more desperate for the recognition he felt he deserved he began to make spurious claims.

He claimed he was receiving signals from Mars on his radio devices. In fact he was receiving signals from distant stars but the world did not know that yet and as such the media had a field day labeling Tesla as insane for his outrageous claims.

The Giant Death Ray

Sadly Nikola is perhaps most famous for his last invention. Which was never built or written down. He said he had in his head the blueprints for a death ray which could take whole squadrons of planes at a range of hundreds of miles. His death ray was thought to have power 1000 times that of the bombs that were dropped on Hroshima and Nagasaki. He wanted to build it too. He sought funding off the US, British and finally Russian governments a whole $30 Million of it. Alas it was not to be and without funding the idea remained inside of his head perhaps for the best.

The sad thing

Here is the thing. After doing my research for this article I do not believe Tesla belongs in a list of “Mad Scientists” in fact he should be up there with Einstein, Edison and the rest of them for inventing the modern world. Tesla was ahead of his time and ruined by his rivalry with Edison. Portrayed in the media as a lunatic, much of the value of his discoveries would only be realized after his death. He was a great but troubled man. Mad? Yes, definitely in fact but in a good way. The world was not ready for a man like Nikola Tesla and now despit being vindicated posthumously he is the first name that pops up when you google mad scientists.

Tesla’s ahes on display in a Croatian museum