REFLECTION TASK 3

                                  The Person of the year: Nikola Tesla

Were I to choose the person of the year, I would definitely go for Nikola Tesla. Did you know that if it had not been for him, we would not be able to do the things we are easily doing now, for we would not have electricity? I mean, it is correct that Thomas Edison invented it and lit up a light bulb, but it was Tesla who found a way to distribute it. He is the one we should be thanking for radios, remote controls, neon and fluorescent lights, wireless transmission, computers, smartphones, laser beams, x-rays, robotics and, of course, alternating current, the basis of our present-day electrical system.

Unknown fact: Edison told him he would share the money he would earn when they found a way to distribute the electricity, and when Tesla achieved in this, Edison refused to give him any money.

He was the only inventor to refuse to accept the Nobel Prize. He did not want to share the prize with Edison.

Once I came across a post that said he was very well ahead of his time and when I opened the link, I was amazed by him. He has always been compared to Thomas Edison, and they have been in hot debates over the years.

Here is what he said about his ideas being stolen:

What is with the Alternate Current (AC)?

During the war of the currents, alternating current (AC) -- favored by Tesla -- battled for wide acceptance with direct current (DC), favored by Edison. At stake was the basis for the entire nation’s electrical system. Edison launched a campaign against AC, claiming it was dangerous and could kill people; Tesla countered by publicly subjecting himself to 250,000-volt shocks to demonstrate AC’s safety. Ultimately, alternating current won the fight.

Speaking of which:

I should probably tell you a little bit about his life. Tesla was born on July 10, 1856, in the Austrian Empire. He was the fourth of five children. After an academic career in Europe, he worked as a telegraph drafter and electrician before moving to the United States to work for Thomas Edison in 1884. He lived in New York for 60 years. There is a corner in Manhattan designed as his corner because it is close to the laboratory he worked in in 1900 while building his now-infamous Tesla Tower on Long Island. His purpose of building the tower was to supply free and wireless electricity to the world.

Tesla was not a savvy businessman and suffered financially, despite his achievements. He lost financial backing from Morgan, who felt he couldn’t profit from Tesla’s wireless electricity concept, and sold his assets to make up for dual foreclosures on Wardenclyffe. The property was later sold to a film processing company. In 1917, the U.S. government demolished Tesla’s partially completed tower because it worried German spies would use it to intercept communications during World War I. His long-abandoned Long Island laboratory will soon become a museum. Earlier this year, a non-profit organization raised enough money to purchase the long-abandoned Wardenclyffe. The group plans to restore the building and turn it into a Tesla museum and science education center. *

I could never give you enough information about Tesla’s achievements and his perfect mind, so I suggest you click on that link and see for yourself how great a man he was.

http://onedio.com/haber/21-madde-ile-nikola-tesla-nin-zamaninin-cok-otesinde-bir-insan-oldugunun-kaniti-426731

*http://energy.gov/articles/top-11-things-you-didnt-know-about-nikola-tesla

:D :D :D :D :D