Nikola Tesla

Biography

Tesla emigrated to New York in 1884 with four cents and a head full of designs. His AC induction motor and polyphase system — licensed by Westinghouse — lit the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and harnessed Niagara Falls, settling the 'war of the currents'. He died in relative obscurity in 1943; the SI unit of magnetic flux density now bears his name.

Serbian-born American inventor whose alternating-current system defeated Edison's direct current to electrify the world.

Known for

Alternating current (AC) electricity and the induction motor.

Notable works & defining projects

• AC induction motor
• Tesla coil
• Niagara Falls AC power system

Notable achievements

• Patented the AC induction motor and polyphase system (1888) that underpin modern power grids
• His AC system powered the landmark lighting of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the Niagara Falls power project
• The SI unit of magnetic flux density, the tesla, is named in his honour

Timeline

1. 1884Emigrated to the United States and briefly worked for Edison
2. 1888Patented the AC induction motor; licensed by Westinghouse
3. 1896Niagara Falls AC power reached Buffalo, New York

Did you know?

• He arrived in New York in 1884 with, by his account, four cents in his pocket
• He claimed to visualise complete inventions in his mind before building them