The Odd Life of Nikola Tesla YouTube

This video was sponsored by The Great Courses Plus. It's a service where you have instantaneous access to lectures by top professors. One of these lectures inspired the creation of this video, so stay tuned till the end of the video to find out more. It's no secret that Nikola Tesla has not been given his fair share of respect in the past. Beyond his achievements, though, and some of his more quirky attributes, his life doesn't seem to be often discussed at length. More importantly, it's important to remember that he, as with his peers, were not always perfect. So who was Nikola Tesla? He was born in 1856 in the Austrian Empire, in the area which is now Croatia. His father was an orthodox priest, and he credits his mother with his advanced intelligence. He lived a relatively normal childhood, or about what you would expect. Naturally talented at math, and of course, a huge interest in the newfangled electric power. As would be expected, his father believed Nikola would and should become a priest like him. But of course, Nikola's interests lied elsewhere. After high school, he was stricken with cholera, and it appeared as though he may be close to the end of his life. At this time, his father had told him that if he were to survive his illness, he would allow him to pursue his scientific education. Of course, he did. After a few years of college, he developed a gambling addiction, which resulted in him dropping out. Too embarrassed to tell his family, he effectively broke his connections with them. He managed to find work at a Budapest telegraph exchange, where his wealth of knowledge in electricity allowed him to advance quickly. This would be his first work in the field, and certainly not his last. After a year of this, he had moved to Paris, working to bring electric lighting to the city under the Continental Edison Company. After various innovative ideas and inventions, he was noticed by the manager of the facility, Charles Batchelor. When there, he continued his work, but left the Edison Company after half a year. The reason? Well, it's not entirely clear. Many cite Edison failing to pay Tesla what he had promised. Again, while often cited, it's not clear if this is what actually happened. Either way, Tesla moved forward. It's at this point that I'm going to simplify some technical details greatly for, well, simplicity. See, at this time, electric power was a huge endeavor to install and run anywhere. This was because of direct current, which only allowed electricity to flow in one direction. At the same time, there was no way to vary how much electricity was going to any given item, so separate lines and currents were needed for different things. It worked well enough in the 19th century, but moving forward, it was very apparent it couldn't supply the energy needs of a quickly advancing society. The alternative was alternating current, which can switch directions. The system, along with transformers, allowed the voltages to be changed easily, greatly simplifying the distribution of electricity. No, Tesla did not invent alternating current. This was in use in some capacity as early as the 1830s, and it was being used to light a few locations in Europe by the time Tesla was dropping out of college. So what exactly did he develop? Well, that would be an efficient system for transporting AC and an inductive motor that works well with it. See, years prior, inventor George Westinghouse was inspired by European AC systems in use, and with inventions such as the aforementioned AC transformer, it became a legitimate and simply better way to power the nation. Westinghouse had a large number of power stations already in use, and Nikola Tesla's contribution to AC impressed Westinghouse. He purchased the rights to the patents made by Tesla and continued to market AC across America. It was around this time that rivalry between DC and AC-powered electric companies hit its peak. On one side was Westinghouse, and on the other, Thomas Edison and Thomas Houston, which would become GE. Edison legitimately believed that AC was a dangerous endeavor, sending far too intense currents to people's homes. Over time, the war grew louder and darker. An engineer, Harold Brown, was fearful as well and wanted to prove the dangers of AC. To do this, he arranged the execution of a prisoner who was sentenced to death using the AC current, the electric chair. Being a new concept, the execution was a bit of a flop. The man did die, but only after what seemed to be a torture session. A horrified public was disgusted by the actions of Brown, and soon it was revealed that, in some capacity, electric companies like Edison Electric and Thomas Houston had helped Brown gain supplies for the execution. However, the public opinion didn't stay so black and white, as multiple fatalities resulted from AC power lines. Proposals to put power lines on the ground were approved, but this wasn't enough for many, Edison included. By this point, though, the sensationalism was replaced with practicality. What I mean by this is that, in 1893, a winner was soon to be declared in the War of Currents. The World's Columbian Exposition, a World's Fair in Chicago, wanted electric lighting for the event. Edison and Westinghouse were eager to win the contract, and in the end, it was the cost savings of AC versus DC that allowed Westinghouse to outbid Edison Electric. Westinghouse, along with the help of Tesla, created an incredible site that year that would cement AC as the dominant power in electric currents. Now with wealth and fame, life was good for Tesla. A scientist recognized globally, and finally the financial backing for his experiments. This joy would not last long. At Tesla's New York laboratory, a fire broke out, past creations and current projects gone forever. Set back and depressed, he had not lost his will for creation. After this event, though, his work would become more outlandish. Arguably the most iconic of Tesla's creations was the Tesla Coil, now entering the public eye. Audiences were absolutely amazed by the power displayed by Tesla and his control of this revolutionary force. Tesla saw its potential larger than a grand light show, however. He intended to use the technology to power devices wirelessly, sending electricity across the air, revolutionizing infrastructure forever. Others were using similar technology, but for different purposes. Most notably, Marconi. Now famous for his advances in radio, Tesla seen him as a thief in many ways. He believed Marconi was using his patents, although he was doing it for very different purposes. Whereas Tesla wanted to send power through the air, Marconi wanted to send information. With this, Tesla went about with his experiments, showing off wireless power to the general public. The technology just wasn't there for a mass market release, though, and physics would show that eventually Tesla's grandiose plans were practically impossible. But in this time of technological innovation, he prevailed. The upcoming radio technology was huge, and Tesla's influential patents and knowledge of the topic gained him support from the wealthy and powerful J.P. Morgan. He saw great potential in Tesla's technology. Tesla promised this in exchange for funding. However, Tesla didn't care for transferring information. He saw wireless energy as a future, and continued his work while hiding his intentions from Morgan. Over time, the money ran dry, and Tesla needed more. Morgan was frustrated, and Marconi was achieving exactly what he had promised, radio communication across the Atlantic. Morgan dropped support for Tesla, and his wireless energy dreams began to fall apart. You see, Tesla believed that the Earth itself had a specific frequency that, when tapped into, could allow him to access unlimited energy. He thought that this, along with Tesla coils, would allow him to transmit the energy across the globe. Future physics would show that this was, of course, incorrect. Losing money, Tesla intended to sue Marconi for stealing his patents. Of course, broken alone in his efforts, he could not compete with the now rich and powerful Marconi. By this point, Tesla was still continuing his experiments, but as he grew older, his concepts became far more strange. He gave himself electrical treatments, as he began claiming that he accessed this new cosmic energy, and, at the same time, was moving from hotel to hotel, spending time feeding pigeons and healing wounded ones. His fascination with frequencies drove him to create a mechanism that could shake entire buildings based on just vibrations. He envisioned a death ray that fired conductive metal charged with particles, claiming it could change warfare, all the while no military actually purchased the plans. He criticized the up-and-coming Albert Einstein, who he believed was misguided and false in his theories, especially when detailing atomic energy. In fact, he didn't believe in subatomic particles at all, or the theory of relativity, ideas that would actually end up changing the world. Broken, living in the New York or hotel, Westinghouse began to pay his living expenses after his contributions to the company's growth. Finally, at the age of 86, he died in his hotel room, remembered finally by at large. Today, Tesla's fame has seen a resurgence. Misconceptions are spread, stories of hyperbole, but no, his wireless energy could not have changed the world. I don't want to come off as dismissive or critical of Tesla, though. He was obviously a brilliant man. But, as with all inventors of his era, his life was not a simple one. Regardless of your opinions on this man, he has left a legacy. The mad scientist, the eccentric mind, either way, we never had another quite like him. This is Tyler of Knowledge Hub. Topics like science, history, math, and even really specific and odd topics that continue to always be updated, like photography. Courses are sometimes even hosted by the Smithsonian and National Geographic. You don't have to deal with the grades or pressure of college, just watch and listen. So, if you want to learn more about Tesla and the rise of electric power, click on this link to get one month of unlimited access to courses and videos absolutely free. Just visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com slash knowledge. The link is provided in the description below.