Creativity and Communication

Nikola Tesla - The Forgotten Genius. When I was asked to write about Nikola Tesla, I hardly knew the name. As a child, I remember visiting a local science museum and of being fascinated by something called a “tesla coil,” a large mushroom shaped apparatus that made sparks and lightening. I assumed that Tesla was some kind of inventor but I wasn’t sure how the machine that made lightening and sparks was important to anyone outside of the science museum. When I learned that Nikola Tesla invented the radio, and not Marconi, I was shocked. Tesla also invented the electric generator, the electric motor, fluorescent lighting, alternating current (AC) and devised the technologies that generate and deliver our electrical power for our homes, schools and factories. So why didn’t I ever learn about Tesla in school — the same way I learned about Thomas Edison, Marconi and Einstein? The story about Nikola Tesla is the story of a genius who was largely disrespected and abused by other scientists and inventors — many of whom stole his ideas and took credit for his discoveries. But how did this happen?