Yount Lisa. Nikola Tesla: Harnessing Electricity

New York: Chelsea House, 2012. — 128 p. — ISBN: 978-1-60413-670-8.As a scientist and businessman, Nikola Tesla saw his fortunes reverse as many times as his alternating current method of conducting electricity. Born in Croatia, Tesla found his way to America where he met fellow inventor Thomas A. Edison. However, the two brilliant men did not share similar methods of experimentation and soon parted ways. Tesla soon drew the attention of businessman George Westinghouse with his alternating current (AC), a method of delivering electricity more efficiently and over greater distances than Edison's direct current (DC). With Westinghouse's support, Tesla's method soon became dominant in the industry. Emboldened, Tesla set up a laboratory in Colorado, where his electricity experiments soon attracted attention—both good and bad. Though this was where he built his famous Tesla coil, which turns a small amount of electricity into a great spark, Tesla also claimed here that he received messages from aliens in outer space, discrediting his legitimate advances. Again, Tesla's luck seemed to alternate on a positive course with backing from J.P. Morgan to build a station on Long Island to broadcast messages and information wirelessly to the world. However, the tower soon ran over budget, and Tesla's fortunes had fallen again. Today, Tesla's legacy is on the rise—his insights and theories about wireless transmission and communication are hardly out of place in a world dominated by cell phones and Wi-Fi. Nikola Tesla outlines what biographers have discovered about Tesla and explores both his amazing achievements and his stunning failures.First Inventions
An Uneasy Childhood
Mysterious Force
Inventive Boy
Strange Illnesses
Understanding Electricity
Michael Faraday’s Generator: The First Source of Steady Electricity
A Rejected Improvement
Conquering an Addiction
The AC Induction Motor
Young Man in Paris
A New Home
Difficult Journey
DC versus AC
Conflicting Personalities
Thomas Alva Edison (1847–1931): The Wizard of Menlo Park
Shaky Starts in Business
Westinghouse
The War of the Currents
Dueling Accusations
The Electric Chair
The Tesla Coil
A Fateful Decision
A Wave of Successes
Landmark Lectures
The Basics of Radio
Tesla at the Columbian Exposition
The Columbian Exposition
Waterfall of Power
Harnessing Niagara
A Peak of Fame
Disaster and Triumph
Champion of Renewable Energy
An Emerging Rival
Accidental Earthquake
Robot Boat
New Plans
Towers of Dreams
Mysterious Laboratory
Standing Waves
Blackout
Message from Space
Martian Fever
A New Supporter
Wardenclyffe
Years of Frustration
Bladeless Turbine
Death Ray
Failures and Successes
Disappointments
The Edison Medal
End of a Dream
Tesla’s Vision of the Future
A Unique Love
Flivver Planes and Deadly Rays
Radar
Death of a Lonely Man
Government Mysteries
Enduring Legacy
Conclusion
Chronology
Glossary
Further Resources
Index