Does the name Tesla ring a bell? The Tesla Coil? Alternating Current? Maybe you’ve heard of Tesla Motors with its impressive electric Roadsters? What about the man himself: Nikola Tesla?
Here is a simple list
of “The 10 inventions of Nikola Tesla That Changed The World”, that Nicholas
West compiled in his article for the Activist
Post.
1.
Alternating
Current
2.
Light
3.
X-rays
4.
Radio
5.
Remote
Control
6.
Electric
Motor
7.
Robotics
8.
Laser
9.
Wireless
Communications
10.
Limitless
Free Energy
Yes, that reads “Free
Energy”. It has been kept a secret for almost a century now. Tesla upheld the
notion that “all people everywhere
should have free energy sources… Electric power is everywhere present in
unlimited quantities and can drive the world’s machinery without the need for
coal, oil or gas”. Tesla sought out
to rid the world of the economic challenges and political turmoil that continue
to frustrate participants in the struggle for energy. His talents and gifts
were intended to benefit mankind.
This creative worked
as an inventor, a physicist, electrical engineer, and much more. He was a man
who could foresee the future, in regards to the technological advancement that
would eventually shape the course of human history. Tesla was determined to
save the world from its increasing dependency on fuel energy. With his
brilliance and determination, he devised a plan to do just that.
The link to creativity is beyond evident. Nikola Tesla did not create
paradigm shifts. His inventions were not objects improved through the
elaboration of others’ work. Tesla envisioned things from thin air. His
wireless transmission tower, the Wardenclyffe Tower, originally constructed in
Shoreham, New York was the key to allowing for free energy to the entire globe.
“An
inexpensive instrument, not bigger than a watch, will enable its bearer to hear
anywhere, on sea or land, music or song, the speech of a political leader, the
address of an eminent man of science, or the sermon of an eloquent clergyman,
delivered in some other place, however distant. In the same manner any picture,
character, drawing, or print can be transferred from one to another place”.
Next time you pop in those headphones to tune in to your favorite songs, remember who made that possible...a hundred years ago.
External actors were
aware of Tesla’s capabilities to change the world. Edison tried to convince the
world the his direct current was more efficient and safer than Tesla’s
alternating current. Marconi utilized Tesla’s patents to cultivate his own
reputation. And J.P. Morgan refused to continue funding Tesla’s projects as
they were not seen cost efficient to the monetary values he held. Tesla was not
given the credit that he deserved.
His remarkable aptitude
for withstanding the temptations of greed, wealth and fame sets him apart from
other scientists of his time, as Nikola Tesla genuinely cared for humanity.
In Margaret Cheney biography of Nikola Tesla, “Tesla: Man Out of Time”, she argues that had he been alive today, the man most likely would have been diagnosed with schizophrenia because of his abnormal demeanor. Just as Kaufman and Baer concluded, many eminent creative fit in this category of psychological differences that set apart such thinkers from ordinary people. Even though their work focuses on mainly female poets, the connection can be made by the strange behavior that Nikola Tesla was said to conduct. The analysis of childhood trauma and tragedy that often strikes the inspiration in such thinkers is also prevalent in Tesla’s life.
However, it must be understood that Tesla indeed was an eminent creative, if not more than that. Human history is privileged with people of Tesla’s nature every couple centuries. As John McManamy addressed in his piece, A Quick Tesla Appreciation, “What fascinates me most, though, is not what Tesla produced, but what produced someone as unique as Tesla”.
Tesla, a Serbian Orthodox man, claimed that, “the gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and if we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power. My Mother had taught me to seek all truth in the Bible”. Despite personal opinions of others, Tesla truly was a man born out of his time.
I find this post fascinating especially with our recent discussion of mental illness. From what I know about Tesla, it was mainly his demeanor and his ethics that relegated him to the shadows whereas Edison was much more celebrated. Tesla seems like the prime example of a creative that was really terrible at interpersonal skills, but extremely gifted at his craft. It's actually pretty interesting to note though, that he seems to have gained a lot more popularity in recent years, due to things like (warning! strong language ahead)
ReplyDeletehttp://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla and http://www.badassoftheweek.com/tesla.html
I know you mentioned that he doesn't get the credit he deserves, well I think these comics and articles show a distinct change in that trend. It seems like a lot of eminent creatives genius is only fully recognized after their death, so maybe Nikola Tesla's time has finally come.