# Nikola Tesla

Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer whose development of alternating current (AC) power systems, the AC induction motor, and the Tesla coil laid the technological foundations of modern electrical infrastructure. His famous rivalry with Thomas Edison over AC versus DC power was resolved decisively in favor of his AC system, which today delivers electricity worldwide. Tesla held over 300 patents and envisioned wireless energy transmission and global communication networks decades before their realization.

## Quick Facts

- **Born:** July 10, 1856
- **Birthplace:** Smiljan, Serbia
- **Nationality:** Serbian-American
- **Occupation:** Engineering / Electrical Science
- **Category:** Scholars & Educators
- **Also Known As:** Master of Lightning, Inventor of the AC Motor

## Timeline

### 1856 — Born in Smiljan
Nikola Tesla born in Smiljan, Austrian Empire (modern-day Croatia).

### 1884 — Arrives in New York
Arrives in New York with four cents in his pocket, a letter of recommendation to Thomas Edison, and a head full of ideas.

### 1888 — AC Motor Patent
Patents the alternating current (AC) induction motor, the invention that would power the modern world.

### 1893 — Chicago World's Fair
AC power lights the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, proving AC's superiority over Edison's DC.

### 1895 — Niagara Falls Power Plant
Designs the first large-scale AC hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls.

### 1943 — Death
Dies alone and in debt at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan at age 86.

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Source: https://peoplebio.info/p/nikola-tesla