Nikola Tesla was born in Croatia (then part of Austria-Hungary)
on July 9, 1856, and died January 7, 1943. He was the electrical engineer
who invented the AC (alternating current) induction motor, which made the
universal transmission and distribution of electricity possible. Tesla
began his studies in physics and mathematics at Gratz Polytechnic, and
then took philosophy at the University of Prague. He worked as an electrical
engineer in Budapest, Hungary, and subsequently in France and Germany.
In 1888 his discovery that a magnetic field could be made to rotate if
two coils at right angles are supplied with AC current 90 degrees out of
phase made possible the invention of the AC induction motor. The major
advantage of this motor being its brushless operation, which many at the
time believed impossible.
Tesla moved to the United States in 1884, where he worked for Thomas
Edison who quickly became a rival - Edison being an advocate of the inferior
DC power transmission system. During this time, Tesla was commissioned
with the design of the AC generators installed at Niagara Falls. George
Westinghouse purchased the patents to his induction motor, and made it
the basis of the Westinghouse power system which still underlies the modern
electrical power industry today.
He also did notable research on high-voltage electricity and wireless
communication; at one point creating an earthquake which shook the ground
for several miles around his New York laboratory. He also devised a system
which anticipated world-wide wireless communications, fax machines, radar,
radio-guided missiles and aircraft.
An electronic text (ASCII) and portable document format (PDF)
version of this file was created by John R.H. Penner from a small booklet
found in a used bookstore for $2.50. The only form of date identification
is the name of the original purchaser, Arthua Daine (sic), dated April
29, 1978. However, the book appears to be considerably older, made with
a typewriter, then photocopied and stapled. The only other significant
features of the booklet is that it contains four photocopied portrait photographs
of Nikola Tesla, and was originally forty pages long. The book has no copyright
identification, nor any means of contacting the publishers. As far as this
editor is aware, this autobiography is no longer available in printed form
anywhere. In the interest of making this important text available to the
wider public, the entire original text has been retyped word-for-word as
it originally appears into this electronic format. If anyone knows how
to reach the original publisher, please contact the editor, so that proper
credit may be given as is due. John Roland Hans Penner, 464 Scott Street,
St. Catharines, Ontario, L2M 3W7, Canada Phone: 905.646.3551; eMail: J.Penner@GEnie.GEIS
These files may be freely redistributed as long as the content is not
modified in any way. It may not be sold or published for money unless specifically
authorized prior to publication by express permission of Kolmogorov- Smirnov
Publishing, or John R.H. Penner. Unless otherwise notified, this work is
Copyright 1995 by John R.H. Penner.
According to a note found at The
Realm of Electric Shadows, the original version of this autobiography
was entitled My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla originally
published in Electrical Experimenter, in six monthly installments,
February - July 1919. It has been republished since by Hart Brothers in
1981.
